THE 


RELATIONS  AND  DUTIES 


OF 


FttEE  COLORED  MEN  IN  AMERICA 

TO   AFRICA. 


THE 

'       } 


RELATIONS  AND 


TIES 


FREE  COLORED  MEN. IN  AMERICA 

TO   AFRICA. 


A, LETTER 

TO 

CHARLES  B.  DUNBAR,  M.  D.,  ESQ., 

OF  NEW  YORK  CITY. 
BY 

THE  REV.  ALEX.  CRUMMELL,  B.  A. 


"  Quo  res  cunque  cadent,  unum  et  commune  periculum 
Una  salus  ambobus  erit." — VIRGIL. 


HARTFORD: 

PRESS  OF  CASE,  LOCKWOOD  AND  COMPANY. 
1861. 


, 


NOTE. 

REV.  MR.  CRUMMELL,  the  author  of  the  following  pages,  is  a  pure 
African — educated  by  private  charity  at  Queens'  College,  England — 
where  he  became  acquainted  with  President  Roberts  and  others,  from 
whom  he  obtained  such  information  of  Liberia  as  determined  him  to 
make  that  country  m\  permanent  residence.  Before  he  received  his 
University  education,  he  was  for  a  time  the  pastor  of  a  Protestant 
Episcopal  congregation  of  colored  people  in  New  York,  and  is  well 
known  to  the  colored  people  of  that  city,  and  to  many  in  other  parts 
of  the  country. 


ft  It  is  in  Africa  that  this  evil  must  be  rooted  out — by  African  hands 
and  African  exertions  chiefly  that  it  can  be  destroyed." 

McQuEEN. — "  View  of  Northern  Central  Africa." 

"  We  may  live  to  behold  the  nations  of  Africa  engaged  in  the  calm 
occupations  of  industry,  and  in  the  pursuit  of  a  just  and  legitimate 
commerce;  we  may  behold  the  bea*ms  of  science  and  philosophy 
breaking  in  upon  their  land,  which  at  some  happier  period,  in  still 
later  times,  may  blaze  with  full  lustre,  and  joining  their  influence  to 
that  of  PURE  RELIGION,  may  illuminate  and  invigorate  the  most  dis- 
tant extremities  of  that  immense  continent." — WM.  PITT, 


LETTER 


HIGH  SCHOOL,  MT.  VAUGHAN,  CAPE  PALMAS,  > 
LIBERIA,  1st  Sept.,  1860.          £ 

MY  DEAR  SIR, — It  is  now  many  months  since  I  received  a 
letter  from  you,  just  as  you  was  about  sailing  from  our  shores 
for  your  home.  In  that  note  you  requested  me  to  address 
you  a  letter  setting  forth  my  views  concerning  Liberia,  sug- 
gesting at  the  same  time  that  such  a  letter  might  prove  inter- 
esting to  many  of  our  old  friends  and  school-mates  in  New 
York.  I  have  not  forgotten  your  request,  although  I  have 
not  "heretofore  complied  with  it.  Though  convinced  of  the 
need  and  possible  usefulness  of  such  a  letter  as  you  asked 
from  me,  I  have  shrunk  from  a  compliance  with  your  request. 
Not  to  mention  other  grounds  of  reluctance,  let  me  say  here 
that  I  have  felt  it  a  venturesome  thing  to  address  four  hun- 
dred thousand  men  ;  albeit,  it  be  indirectly  through  you. 
Neither  my  name,  position,  nor  any  personal  qualities,  give 
me  authority  thus  to  do.  The  only  excuse  1  have  is  the  depth 
and  solemnity  of  all  questions  connected  with  Africa.  I  see 
that  no  one  else  of  our  race  has  done  it ;  perhaps  I  may  be 
pardoned  for  assuming  so  great  a  task. 

I  may  add  here  that  I  address  the  "  Free  Colored  Men  of 
America,"  because  I  am  identified  with  them ;  and  not  be- 
cause I  feel  that  they,  especially,  and  above  all  the  other  sons 
of  Africa,  in  distant  lands,  are  called  upon  for  zeal  and  inter- 
est in  her  behalf.  It  is  the  exaggeration  of  the  relation  of 
American  black  men  to  Africa,  which  has  turned  the  hearts 
of  many  of  her  own  children  from  her.  Your  duties,  in  this 


6 

respect  are  no  greater  than  those  of  our  West  Indian,  Hay- 
tian,  and  eventually  our  Brazilian  brethren.  Whatever  in 
this  letter  applies  to  our  brethren  in  the  United  States, 
applies  in  an  equal  degree  to  them.  But  I  am  not  the  man 
to  address  them.  I  fear  I  presume,  even  in  writing  this  letter 
to  American  black  men,  and  have  only  just  now  concluded  to 
do  so  by  the  encouragement  I  have  received  in  two  pleasant 
interviews  with  Mr.  Campbell  and  Dr.  Delany. 

And  even  now  it  is  with  doubt  and  diffidence  that  I  conclude 
to  send  you  this  communication.  My  reluctancy  has  arisen 
chiefly  from  a  consideration  of  the  claim  put  forth  by  leading 
colored  men  in  the  United  States,  to  the  effect  "that  it  is 
unjust  to  disturb  their  residence  in  the  land  of  their  birth,  by 
a  continual  call  to  go  to  Africa."  This  claim  is,  in  my  opin- 
ion, a  most  just  one.  Three  centuries  residence  in  a  country 
seems  clearly  to  give  any  people  a  right  to  their  nationality 
therein,  without  disturbance.  Our  brethren  in  America  have 
other  claims  besides  this  ;  they  have  made  large  contributions 
to  the  clearing  of  their  country ;  they  have  contributed  by 
sweat  and  toil  to  the  wealth  thereof ;  and  by  their  prowess 
and  their  blood,  they  have  participated  in  the  achievement  of 
its  liberties.  But  their  master  right  lies  in  the  fact  that  they 
are  Christians  ;  and  one  will  have  to  find  some  new  page  and 
appendage  to  the  Bible,  to  get  the  warrant  for  Christians  to 
repel  and  expatriate  Christians,  on  account  of  blood,  or  race, 
or  color.  In  fact,  it  seems  to  me  a  most  serious  thing  to  wan- 
tonly trench  upon  rights,  thus  solemnly  and  providentially 
guaranteed  a  people,  that  is,  by  a  constant,  ceaseless,  fretting 
iteration  of  a  repelling  sentiment. 

Of  course  I  do  not  intend  anything  akin  to  this  in  my  let- 
ter. I  need  not  insult  the  intellect  and  conscience  of  any  col- 
ored man  who  thinks  it  his  duty  to  labor  for  his  race  on 
American  soil,  by  telling  him  that  it  is  his  duty  to  come  to 
Africa.  If  he  is  educated  up  to  the  ideas  of  responsibility 
and  obligation,  he  knows  his  duty  better  than  I  do.  And, 
indeed,  generally,  it  is  best  to  leave  individuals  to  themselves 
as  to  the  details  of  obligation  and  responsibility. 

"  The  primal  duties  shine  aloft  like  stars  ;  "  and  it  is  only 


when  men  will  not  see  them,  we  are  bound  to  repeat  and  re- 
utter  them,  until  the  souls  of  men  are  aroused,  and  they  are 
moved  to  moral  resolution  and  to  noble  actions.  But  as  to 
the  mode,  form  and  manner  of  meeting  their  duties,  let  the 
common  sense  of  every  man  decide  it  for  himself. 

My  object  in  writing  this  letter  is  not  to  vex  any  of  our 
brethren  by  the  iteration  of  the  falsehood  that  America  is  not 
their  home  ;  nor  by  the  misty  theory,  "  that  they  will  all  yet 
have  to  come  to  Liberia."  I  do  not  even  intend  to  invite  any 
one  to  Liberia  ;  glad  as  I  would  be  to  see  around  me  many  of 
the  wise  and  sterling  men  I  know  in  the  U.  States,  who  would 
be  real  acquisitions  to  this  nation,  and  as  much  as  I  covet  their 
society.  I  am  not  putting  in  a  plea  for  Colonization.  My 
object  is  quite  different ;  in  fact  it  is  not  a  strict  compliance 
with  the  terms  of  your  letter,  for  I  shall  have  but  little  to  say 
about  Liberia.  But  believing  that  all  men  hold  some  relation 
to  the  land  of  theii*  Fathers,  I  wish  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
sons  of  Africa  in  America  to  their  "  RELATIONS  AND  DUTY  TO 
THE  LAND  OP  THEIR  FATHERS." 

And  even  on  such  a  theme  I  know  I  must  prepare  myself 
for  the  rebuff  from  many — "  Why  talk  to  us  of  Fatherland  ? 
What  have  we  to  do  with  Africa  ?  We  are  not  Africans ;  we 
are  Americans.  You  ask  no  peculiar  interest  on  the  part  of 
Germans,  Englishmen,  the  Scotch,  the  Irish,  the  Dutch,  in  the 
land  of  their  fathers ;  why  then  do  you  ask  it  of  us  ? " 

Alas  for  us,  as  a  race !  so  deeply  harmed  have  we  been  by 
oppression,  that  we  have  lost  the  force  of  strong,  native  prin- 
ciples, and  prime  natural  affections.  Because  exaggerated 
contempt  has  been  poured  upon  us,  we  too  become  apt  pupils 
in  the  school  of  scorn  and  contumely.  Because  repudiation 
of  the  black  man  has  been  for  centuries  the  wont  of  civilized 
nations,  black  men  themselves  get  shame  at  their  origin  and 
shrink  from  the  terms  which  indicate  it. 

Sad  as  this  is,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  "  Oppression  " 
not  only  "  makes  a  wise  man  mad,"  it  robs  him  also  of  his 
self-respect.  And  this  is  our  loss  ;  but  having  emerged  from 
slavery,  it  is  our  duty  to  cast  off  its  grave-clothes  and  resist 
its  deadly  influences. 


8 

Our  ancestors  were  unfortunate,  miserable  and  benighted  ; 
but  nothing  more.  Their  history  was  a  history,  not  of  igno- 
miny and  disgrace,  but  of  heathenism  and  benightedness. 
And  even  in  that  state  they  exhibited  a  nobleness  of  native 
character,  they  cherished  such  virtues,  and  manifested  so 
much  manliness  and  bravery,  that  the  civilized  world  is  now 
magnanimous  enough  to  recognize  such  traits ;  and  its  great- 
est men  are  free  to  render  their  warm  eulogies.* 

When  these  colored  men  question  the  duty  of  interest'  in 
Africa  because  they  are  not  Africans,  I  beg  to  remind  them  of 
the  kindred  duty  of  self-respect.  And  my  reply  to  such  que- 
ries as  I  have  mentioned  above  is  this  :  1.  That  there  is  no 
need  of  asking  the  interest  of  Englishmen,  Germans,  Dutch- 
men and  others  in  the  land  of  their  Fathers,  because  they 
have  this  interest,  and  are  always  proud  to  cherish  it.  And 
2nd,  I  remark  that  the  abject  state  of  Africa  is  a  most  real 
and  touching  appeal  to  any  heart  for  sympathy  and  aid.  It  is 
an  appeal,  however,  which  comes  with  a  double  force  to  every 
civilized  man  who  has  negro  blood  flowing  in  his  veins. 

Africa  lies  low  and  is  wretched.  She  is  the  maimed  and  crip- 
pled arm  of  humanity.  Her  great  powers  are  wasted.  Dis- 
location and  anguish  have  reached  every  joint.  Her  condition 
in  every  point  calls  for  succor  ;  moral,  social,  domestic,  politi- 
cal, commercial,  intellectual.  Whence  shall  flow  aid,  mercy, 
advantage  to  her  ?  Here  arises  the  call  of  duty  and  obligation 
to  colored  men.  Other  people  may,  if  they  choose,  forget  the 
homes  of  their  sires  ;  for  almost  every  European  nation  is  now 
reaping  the  fruits  of  a  thousand  years  civilization.  Every  one 
of  them  can  spare  thousands  and  even  millions  of  their  sons 
to  build  up  civilization  in  Australia,  Canada,  New  Zealand, 
South  Africa,  or  Victoria.  But  Africa  is  the  victim  of  her 
hetorogenous  idolatries.  Africa  is  wasting  away  beneath  the 
accretions  of  civil  and  moral  miseries.  Darkness  covers  the 
land  and  gross  darkness  the  people.  Great  social  evils  uni- 

*For  a  most  able  and  discriminating  article  upon  this  topic,  see  "  WESTMIN- 
STER REVIEW,"  January  7,  1842,  Art.,  Dr.  Arnold.  Also,  those  humane  and 
truthful  Essays  of  Mr.  HEAPS. — "  FRIENDS  IN  COUNCIL,  vol.  2. 


9 

versally  prevail.  Confidence  and  security  are  destroyed.  Li- 
centiousness abounds  everywhere.  Molock  rules  and  reigns 
throughout  the  whole  Continent ;  and  by  the  ordeal  of  Sassy- 
wood,  Fetiches,  human  sacrifices  and  devil-worship  .is 
devouring  men,  women  and  little  children.  They  have  not 
the  Gospel.  They  are  living  without  God.  The  cross  has 
never  met  their  gaze  ;  and  its  consolations  have  never  entered 
their  hearts,  nor  its  everlasting  truths  cheered  their  deaths. 

And  all  this  only  epitomizes  the  miseries  of  Africa,  for  it 
would  take  a  volume  to  detail  and  enumerate  them.  But  this 
is  sufficient  to  convince  any  son  of  Africa  that  the  land  of  our 
fathers  is  in  great  spiritual  need,  and  that  those  of  her  sons 
who  haply  have  ability  to  aid  in  her  restoration,  will  show 
mercy  to  her,  and  perform  an  act  of  filial  love  and  tenderness 
which  is  but  their  "  reasonable  service." 

I  have  two  objects  in  view  in  addressing  you  this  letter  : 
one  relates  to  the  temporal,  material  interests  of  adventurous, 
enterprising,  colored  men  ;  and  the  other  pertains  to  the  best 
and  most  abiding  interests  of  the  million  masses  of  heathen 
on  this  continent — I  mean  their  evangelization. 

First,  I  am  to  speak  with  reference  to  the  temporal,  and 
material  interests  of  adventurous,  enterprising  and  aspiring 
men  in  the  United  States  of  America.  I  wish  to  bring  before 
such  persons  reasons  why  they  should  feel  interest  in  Africa. 
These  reasons  are  not,  I  am  free  to  confess,  directly  and  dis- 
tinctively philanthropic  ;  although  I  do,  indeed,  aim  at  human 
well-being  through  their  force  and  influence.  But  I  appeal 
now  more  especially  to  the  hopes,  desires,  ambition,  and  aspi- 
rations of  such  men.  I  am  referring  to  that  sentiment  of  self; 
regard  which  prompts  to  noble  exertions  for  support  and  supe- 
riority. I  am  aiming  at  that  principle  of  SELF  LOVE  which 
spurs  men  on  to  self  advantage  and  self  aggrandizement ;  a 
principle  which,  in  its  normal  state  and  in  its  due  degree,  to 
use  the  words  of  BUTLER,  "  is  as  just  and  morally  good  as  any 
affection  whatever."  In  fine,  I  address  myself  to  all  that  class 
of  sentiments  in  the  human  heart  which  creates  a  thirst  for 
wealth,  position,  honor,  and  power.  I  desire  the  auxiliary  aid 
of  this  class  of  persons,  and  this  class  of  motives,  for  it  is 
2 


10 

such  influences  and  agencies  which  are  calculated  to  advance 
the  material  growth  of  Africa.  She  needs  skill,  enterprise, 
energy,  worldly  talent,  to  raise  her ;  and  these  applied  here  to 
her  needs  and  circumstances,  will  prove  the  handmaid  of  Re- 
ligion, and  will  serve  the  great  purposes  of  civilization  and 
enlightenment  through  all  her  borders. 

There  seems  to  me  to  be  a  natural  call  upon  the  children 
of  Africa  in  foreign  lands,  to  come  and  participate  in  the  open- 
ing treasures  of  the  land  of  their  fathers.  Though  these 
treasures  are  the  manifest  gift  of  God  to  the  negro  race,  yet 
that  race  reaps  but  the  most  partial  measure  of  their  good  and 
advantage.  It  has  always  been  thus  in  the  past,  and  now  as 
the  resources  of  Africa  are  being  more  and  more  developed, 
the  extent  of  our  interest  therein  is  becoming  more  and  more 
diminutive.  The  slave-trade  is  interdicted  throughout  Chris- 
tendom ;  the  chief  powers  of  earth  have  put  a  lien  upon  the 
system  of  slavery ;  interest  and  research  in  Africa  have  reached 
a  state  of  intensity ;  mystery  has  been  banished  from  some  of 
her  most  secret  quarters  ;  sunlight,  after  ages  of  darkness,  has 
burst  in  upon  the  charmed  regions  of  her  wealth  and  value  ; 
and  yet  the  negro,  on  his  native  soil,  is  but  "  a  hewer  of  wood 
and  drawer  of  water;"  and  the  sons  of  Africa  in  foreign 
lands,  inane  and  blinded,  suffer  the  adventurous  foreigner, 
with  greed  and  glut,  to  jostle  him  aside,  and  to  seize,  with 
skill  and  effect,  upon  their  own  rightful  inheritance. 

For  three  centuries  and  upwards,  the  civilized  nations  of 
the  earth  have  been  engaged  in  African  commerce.  Traffic  on 
the  coast  of  Africa  anticipated  the  discoveries  of  Columbus. 
From  Africa  the  purest  gold  got  its  characteristic  three  hun- 
dred years  ago.  From  Africa  dyes  of  the  greatest  value  have 
been  carried  to  the  great  manufacturing  marts  of  the  world. 
From  Africa  palm  oil  is  exported  by  thousands  of  tons  ;  and 
now  as  the  observant  eye  of  commerce  is  becoming  more  and 
more  fastened  upon  this  continent,  grain,  gums,  oils  of  divers 
kinds,  valuable  woods,  copper  and  other  ore,  are  being  borne 
from  the  soil  to  meet  the  clamorous  demands  of  distant  marts. 

The  chief  item  of  commerce  in  this  continent  has  been  the 
"  slave  trade.'7  The  coast  of  Africa  has  been  more  noted  for 


11 

this  than  for  anything  else.  Ever  since  1600,  the  civilized 
nations  of  the  earth  have  been  transporting  in  deadly  holds, 
in  poisonous  and  pestilential  cabins,  in  "  perfidious  barks," 
millions  of  our  race  to  foreign  lands.  This  trade  is  now  al- 
most universally  regarded  as  criminal ;  but  in  the  light  of  com- 
mercial prudence  and  pecuniary  advantage,  the  slave  trade 
was  as  great  a  piece  of  folly  as  it  was  a  crime  ;  for  almost  be- 
neath their  eyes,  yea,  doubtless,  often  immediately  in  their 
sight,  were  lying  treasures,  rivaling  far  the  market  value  of 
the  flesh  and  blood  they  had  been  so  eager  to  crowd  beneath 
their  hatches. 

Africa  is  as  rich  in  resources  as  India  is  ;  not  as  yet  as  val- 
uable in  products,  because  she  is  more  unenlightened,  and  has 
a  less  skilful  population.  But  so  far  as  it  respects  mineral 
and  vegetable  capacity,  there  seems  to  me  but  little,  if  any 
doubt  that  Africa  more  than  rivals  the  most  productive  lands 
on  the  globe.  v 

Let  me  set  before  you,  though  briefly,  some  of  the  valuable 
articles  of  West  African  trade.  I  must  remind  you,  however, 
of  three  things ;  first,  that  the  soil,  the  rocks,  and  the  flora 
of  Africa  have  not  had  the  advantage  of  scientific  scrutiny, 
and  as  a  consequence  but  little  is  known  as  yet  of  her  real 
worth  and  wealth  in  these  respects.  Second,  that  West  Afri- 
can trade  is  only  in  a  nascent  state — that  it  comes  from  but  a 
slight  fringe  of  the  coast,  while  the  rich  interior  yields,  as  yet, 
but  a  reluctant  hold  upon  the  vast  and  various  treasures  it 
possesses.  And  third,  that  such  is  the  mysterious  secrecy 
American  and  English  houses  retain  and  enjoin  upon  this  sub- 
ject, that  even  approximation  to  the  facts  of  the  case  is  remote 
and  distant. 

The  following  Table  is  an  attempt  to  classify  valuable  pro- 
ducts and  articles  of  present  trade.  Nearly  every  article  men- 
tioned has  come  under  my  own  personal  inspection ;  the  excep- 
tions are  not  over  a  dozen  and  a  half. 


12 


Nuts. 

Dyes  and  Dyewood. 

Gums  and  Wax. 

Animals. 

Palm  Nut. 

Camwood. 

Beeswax. 

Oxen. 

Ground  Nut. 

Barwood. 

Grove  Tree. 

Sheep. 

Cocoa  Nut. 

Indigo. 

India  Rubber. 

Hogs. 

Cold  Nut.    . 

Christmas  nut. 

Gutta  Percha. 

Goats. 

Castor  Nut. 

And  divers  oth- 

Copal. 

Fowls. 

er  colors,  blue, 

Mastic. 

Ducks. 

red,  yellow,  & 

Senegal. 

Pigeons. 

brown. 

Skins. 

Grains. 

Fruits. 

Vegetables. 

Bullock. 

Rice. 

Oranges. 

Yams. 

Sheep. 

Maize. 

Lemons. 

Cassada. 

Deer. 

Millet. 

Plantains. 

Potatoes. 

Monkey. 

Bananas. 

Tan  yah. 

Leopard. 

Citrons. 

Gazelle. 

Limes. 

Squirrel. 

Guavas. 

Raccoon. 

Pine  Apples. 

Lion. 

Papaw. 

Mango  Plums. 

Alligator  Pear. 

• 

Bread  Nut. 

Tamarind. 

Special  articles  con- 

Timber. 

Minerals.            nected  with  trade  & 

Fish. 

domestic  use. 

Teak. 

Iron. 

Sugar  Cane. 

Mackerel. 

Ebony. 

Copper. 

Coffee. 

Mango  Perch 

Lignum  Vitae 

.  Gold. 

Cocoa. 

Caualla. 

Mahogany. 

Pepper. 

Gripper. 

Brimstone. 

Cotton. 

Herring. 

Rosewood. 

Tobacco. 

Mullet. 

Walnut. 

Chub. 

Hickory. 

Perch. 

Oak. 

Pike. 

Cedar. 

Trout. 

Unevah. 

Cod. 

Mangrove. 

Skate. 

Eels. 

Oysters. 

13 

I  can  not  dismiss  these  Tables  without  a  few  remarks  rela- 
tive to  some  few  prominent  items  they  enumerate ;  I  mean 
the  PALM  NUT  and  OIL,  COTTON,  INDIAN  CORN,  and  SUGAR 
CANE. 

PALM  OIL. — This  article,  more  than  any  other  West  Afri- 
can product,  shows  the  rapidity  with  which  legitimate  com- 
merce has  sprung  up  on  the  coast  of  Africa.  A  few  years  ago 
palm  oil  was  an  insignificant  item  in  the  coast  trade.*  Now 
it  is  an  article  which  commands  whole  fleets  of  sailing  vessels, 
seeks  the  auxiliary  aid  of  steamers,  and  effects  most  power- 
fully the  commerce  of  England,  France,  and  the  United  States. 

I  copy  several  items  pertaining  to  this  export  from  a  report 
of  a  former  acquaintance  and  correspondent,  the  late  Mr. 
Consul  Campbell,  of  Lagos.  The  report,  as  will  be  seen,  in- 
cludes several  other  items  besides  palm  oil,  and  it  refers  ex- 
clusively to  LAGOS. 

SHIPPED   FROM  LAGOS  DURING  1857. 

Value. 

13,097  casks  of  Palm  Oil,  4,942  tons,        £222,390 

1,053  Elephant  Tusks,  24,118  Ibs.,  4,220 

868  bales  of  Cotton,  114,848  Ibs.,  3,490 


230,200 
50,000  native  Cotton  Cloths,  25,000 


Total  value  of  exports  from  Lagos,  £ 255,200 

Palm  Oil— 

From  the  Benin  River,  2,650  tons, 

"  Palma,  3,250  " 

"  Badagry,  1,250  " 

"  Porto  Novo,  Appi,  Yista,  &c.,  4,500  " 

"  Whydah,  2,500  « 

"  Ahguay  and  neighbor'g  ports,  2,500  " 


16,650  tons,  £732,600 
150,000  country  Cloths  of  native  manu- 
facture from  above  ports,  75,000 

£1,062,800 

*In  1808,  the  quantity  imported  into  England  was  only  200  (two  hundred)  tons. 


14 


Of  the  above  productions  there  was  shipped  from  Lagos  in 
the  year — 

1856.  1857. 

Palm  Oil,           3,884  tons.  4,942  tons. 

Ivory,               16,057  Ibs.  24,118  Ibs. 
Cotton,             34,491  Ibs.         114,844  Ibs. 
Palm  Oil  from  other  ports — 

1856.  1857. 

2,500  tons.  2,650  tons. 

2,250    "  3,250    " 

1,250    "  1,250 

4,000    "  4,500 

2,500    «  2,500 

1,800    «  2,500 


Benin  River, 

Palma, 

Badagry, 

Porto  Novo,  <fec., 

Whydah, 

Ahguay,  &c., 


Increase. 

1,058  tons. 
8,061  Ibs. 
81,353  Ibs. 

Increase. 

150  tons. 
1,000    " 

500    " 

700    " 


14,300  tons. 
3,884    « 


From  Lagos, 

Total  shipment  in  1857, 


16,650  tons. 
4,942    " 


2,350  tons. 
1,058    « 


21,592  tons.        3,408  tons. 


The  export  of  Oil  and  Nuts  from  SIERRA  LEONE,  is  as  follows : 

PALM   OIL  EXPORTED   FROM  SIERRA  LEONE  DURING  THE   YEARS 

1850,  285,032  gallons, 

1851,  212,577 

1852,  307,988 
1853, 

1854, 
1855, 
1856, 


181,438 
304,406 
364,414 
463,140 


Total,         2,118,985  gallons,  equal  to  6,835  tons. 
Custom  House,  Sierra  Leone,  18th  February,  1857. 

PORT  OP  FREETOWN,  SIERRA  LEONE. 

QUANTITY  OP  PALM-NUT  KERNELS  EXPORTED  FROM  THE  COLONY, 


AS    FOLLOWS,    VIZ.  : 


1850, 
1851, 
1852, 


4,096    bushels, 
2,925        " 
46,727 


15 

1853,  29,699  bushels. 

1854,  25,399|   " 

1855,  65,388   " 

1856,  90,282    « 


Total,         264,516£  bushels,  equal  to  6,612  tons. 
Customs,  Sierra  Leone,  30th  January,  1857. 

I  have  no  reliable  information  of  the  amount  of  oil  export- 
ed at  the  present ;  but  I  do  not  think  I  shall  be  far  from  the 
point  of  accuracy,  if  I  put  it  down  at  60,000  tons,  which,  at 
the  probable  value  of  £45  per  ton,  equals  £2,700,000. 

COTTON. — Next  to  palm  oil,  cotton  is  now  commanding 
more  attention  than  any  other  article.  The  interesting  fact 
with  regard  to  this  staple  is  that  it  excites  as  much  interest  in 
Africa  as  it  does  in  England  and  America.  There  are  few 
things  in  the  history vof  trade  more  important,  more  interest- 
ing, morally  as  well  as  commercially,  than  the  impetus  which 
has  recently  been  given  to  the  growth  of  cotton. 

In  185-,  Mr.  Consul  Campbell  made  a  statement  of  the 
probable  amount  of  cotton  exported  from  West  Africa.  I 
have  to  rely  upon  my  memory  for  the  items  of  that  statement ; 
and,  if  I  mistake  not,  he  stated  that  the  people  of  Abbeokuta 
exported  nigh  200,000  country  cloths  annually.  These  cloths 
are  purchased  for  transportation  to  Brazil,  where  there  are 
thousands  of  African  slaves  who  still  dress  in  the  same  style 
as  when  at  their  homes.  He  supposed  that  full  200,000  coun- 
try cloths  were  manufactured  for  home  use,  which  would 
make  the  probable  number  manufactured  in  Africa,  400,000. 
And  he  calculated  2£  Ibs.  as  the  average  weight  of  each  coun- 
try cloth ;— and  400,000  x  2*  — 1,000,000  Ibs.  of  cotton  manu- 
factured by  the  natives  of  interior  Africa,  in  one  locality,  that 
is  Yoruba.  Doubtless  as  much  more  is  allowed  to  grow  and 
run  to  waste,  unused. 

Now  these  facts,  to  a  partial  extent,  were  well  known  in 
Liberia,  for  our  merchants  are  accustomed  to  purchasing 
"  country  cloths,"  as  they  are  called,  and  selling  them  to  for- 
eign traders ;  but  Consul  Campbell's  statements  far  exceed 
any  realities  we  have  ever  thought  of,  and  show  that  interior 


16 

Africa  is  as  great  a  field  for  the   production  of  cotton,  as 
America  or  India. 

SUGAR  CANE. — To  what  extent  West  Africa  is  to  become  a 
sugar-producing  country  it  is  difficult  to  conjecture.  Many, 
doubtless,  have  grave  doubts  whether  this  will  ever  be  the 
case ;  for  my  own  part  I  have  no  misgivings  upon  the  point, 
that  is,  its  capability  of  becoming  a  great  sugar-producing 
country.  The  natives  grow  it  in  all  the  country  about  Cape 
Palmas,  and  frequently  bring  cane  to  the  American  settle- 
ments for  sale.  With  some  small  encouragement,  and  a  little 
stimulus,  it  could  easily  be  made  a  staple  here.  My  opinions 
have  been  strengthened  by  some  observations  made  in  a  recent 
missionary  tour.  I  found  cane  but  little  inferior  to  that 
grown  on  the  St.  Paul's  river,  growing  in  nearly  all  the  towns 
and  villages  through  which  I  passed,  forty  >  fifty,  and  sixty 
miles  in  the  interior.  On  inquiry,  I  learned  that  it  is  grown 
by  the  natives  in  the  interior,  two  hundred  miles  back.  Dr. 
Livingstone,  in  his  journal,  states  a  like  fact  concerning  the 
natives  in  South  Africa.* 

What  a  germ  have  we  here  for  systematic  labor,  plodding 
industry,  the  proper  direction  of  the  acquisition  principle,  and 
thereby,  of  civilization  and  Christianity,  if  only  a  company  of 
right-minded  men  were  settled  on  the  Cavalla,  prepared  for 
the  production  of  sugar,  willing  to  stimulate  national  energy, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  uplift  and  enlighten  the  heathen ! 

MAIZE. — What  is  the  case  respecting  sugar  cane  equally 
pertains  to  corn.  It  is  grown  plenteously  and  extensively  in 
West  Africa.  On  the  Cavalla  river  it  is  planted  with  rice,  and 
I  am  told  that  in  the  gathering  season  hundreds  of  bushels  of 
corn  are  left  by  the  natives  untouched  in  their  fields.  In 
some  cases  American  colonists  have  gone  and  gathered  quan- 
tities of  it  without  any  payment.  Here,  then,  with  an  enter- 
prising settlement,  corn  could  be  obtained,  as  an  export. 
The  natives,  if  encouraged,  might  easily  be  made  vast  and  ex- 
tensive corn-growers.  This  has  already  taken  place  on  the 


*  Dr.  Livingstone  saw  the  cane  growing  in  his  tour  through  South  Africa.     It 
is  more  than  probable  that  that  cane  is  indigenous  to  both  West  and  South  Africa. 


,'""'. 

Gold  Coast.  Several  cargoes  of  corn  were  exported  thence 
in  1859,  to  England. 

As  with  the  palm  oil,  so  with  maize,  sugar-cane,  and  cot- 
ton ;  civilized  men  could,  with  but  little  difficulty,  increase 
the  cultivation  of  these  articles  among  the  natives,  and  ship 
them  to  traders  to  their  own  advantage.  And  this  process  is 
the  great  secret  of  West  African  trade ;  the  foreign  merchant, 
by  his  goods,  excites  the  cupidity  of  the  simple  native  who  at 
Fernandapo  brings  him  barwood ;  at  St.  Paul  Loando,  bees- 
wax; at  Congo,  copal  and  gutta  percha;  at  Accra,  maize; 
at  Cababar,  black  ebony  wood ;  at  Bonny  and  Lagos,  palm 
oil;  at  Bassa,  (Liberia,)  camwood;  at  Lagos,  cotton;  at 
Tantamquerry  and  Gambra,  ground  nuts  an<j.  pepper;  at 
Sierra  Leone,  nearly  all  kinds  of  African  produce ;  at  Elmina, 
Cape  Coast,  Accra,  and  Bassam,  gold.  By  this  multiform 
'  traffic,  yet,  be  it  remembered,  in  its  infancy,  and  capable  of  be- 
ing increased  a  thousand-fold,  millions  of  dollars  are  being 
made,  every  year,  on  the  coast  of  Africa. 

Now  all  this  flows  into  the  coffers  of  white  men.  I  mean 
nothing  invidious  by  this.  I  state  a  fact,  and  am  utterly  un- 
conscious of  any  unworthy  or  ungenerous  feeling,  in  stating 
it.  "  The  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fullness  thereof; "  and 
this  "  fullness  "  he  has  given  to  MAN,  irrespective  of  race  or 
color.  The  main  condition  of  the  obtainment  of  it  is  intelli- 
gence, forecast,  skill,  and  enterprise.  If  the  black  man — the 
black  man,  I  mean,  civilized  and  enlightened,  has  lying  before 
him  a  golden  heritage,  and  fails  to  seize  upon  and  to  appro- 
priate it ;  Providence,  none  the  less,  intends  it  to  be  seized 
upon,  and  wills  it  to  be  used.  And  if  the  white  man,  with  a 
keen  eye,  a  cunning  hand,  and  a  wise  practicalness,  is  enabled 
to  appropriate  it  with  skill  and  effect,  it  is  his ;  God  gives  it 
to  him ;  and  he  has  a  right  to  seek  and  to  search  for  a  multi- 
plication of  it ;  and  when  he  secures  it,  a  right  to  the  use  01 
it, — responsible,  however,  both  to  God  and  man  for  the  use  01 
right  means  to  the  ends  he  has  before  him,  and  for  the  moral 
features  of  his  traffic. 

But  while  conceding  that  the  white  man  has,  in  the  main, 
fairly  won  the  present  trade  of  Africa ;  I  can  not  but  lament 

Q 


'  ",.vv       18 

aver  non-participation  therein ;  for  the  larger  advantages  of  it, 
go  to  Europe  and  America,  and  help  to  swell  the  broad  stream 
of  their  wealth,  luxury,  and  refinement.  And  how  deep  and 
broad  and  mighty  is  that  stream,  as  shown  by  two  facts  :  1st, 
That  England,  France,  and  the  United  States,  expend  annually 
more  than  a  million  and  a  half  of  dollars  for  the  protection  of 
trade  on  this  coast.*  And  2d,  That  the  coast  swarms  with 
white  men,  using  all  possible  means  and  contrivances  to  open 
trade  into  the  interior.  To  this  one  single  end,  an  immense 
amount  of  capital  is  spent  by  great  mercantile  houses,  in 
England,  France,  and  America.  One  single  house  in  Liver- 
pool, employs  such  a  fleet  of  trading  vessels,  that  it  is  necessi- 
tated to  keep. a  resident  physician  at  the  mouth  of  one  of  our 
great  rivers  for  the  benefit  of  their  captains  and  sailors.  "  A 
single  merchant  now  living,  in  the  course  of  three  or  four  years 
has  spent  more  than  $100,000  in  exploring  the  rivers  and 
creeks  of  Western  Africa,  merely  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  her 
commercial  relations."!  While  I  am  writing  these  pages,  I 
receive  the  information  that  one  of  the  great  Liverpool  houses, 
has  just  sent  out  a  small  steamer  to  the  Brights,  to  collect  the 
oil  for  their  trading  vessels.  Simultaneously  with  this  intelli- 
gence, I  am  advised  that  a  number  of  agents  are  employed  by 
English  capitalists  to  visit  the  towns  from  Lagos  to  Abbeokuta, 
and  to  leave  with  their  chiefs,  small  bags  of  cotton  seed  for  the 
growth  of  cotton.  And  but  a  few  months  ago  we  hailed  in 
our  roads  a  little  fairy  craft — the  "  Sunbeam,"  steamer  sent 
out  by  "  Laird  and  Company "  for  the  Niger  trade  ;  and 
since  then,  I  have  heard  of  two  of  her  trips,  four  hundred 
miles  up  that  mighty  river,  bringing  thence  valuable  cargoes 
from  the  factories  which  are  now  established  three  hundred 
miles  up  upon  its  banks. 

And  now  perhaps  you  ask, — "  How  shall  the  children  of 
Africa,  sojourning  in  foreign  lands,  avail  themselves  of  the 
treasures  of  this  continent  ?  "  I  answer  briefly, — "  In  the 
same  way  white  men  do."  Tliey  have  pointed  out  the  way  ; 

*  I  do  not  pretend  to  accuracy  in  this  statement ;  the  expenditure  of  Great 
Britain  was,  in  184-,  £231,000. 
t  Wilson's  "Western  Africa,"  pp.  521. 


19 

III  /  /  /  i 

let  us  follow  in  the  same  track  and  in  the  tiso  of  tlio  like 
[legitimate]  agencies  by  which  trade  is  facilitated  and  money 
is  made  by  them. 

Perhaps  this  is  too  general ;  let  me  therefore  attempt  some- 
thing more  specific  and  "distinctive. 

FIKST,  then,  I  remark  that  if  individuals  are  unable  to  enter 
upon  a  trading  system,  they  can  form  associations.  If  one  has 
not  sufficient  capital,  four  or  six  united  can  make  a  good 
beginning.  If  a  few  persons  can  not  make  the  venture,  then 
a  company  can  be  formed.  It  was  in  this  way  the  first 
attempts  at  trading  were  made  by  the  Dutch  and  the  English, 
both  in  India  and  Africa.  A  few  men  associated  themselves 
together,  and  sent  out  their  agent  or  agents,  and  started  a  fac- 
tory. And  from  such  humble  beginnings,  in  the  17th  century, 
has  arisen  that  magnificent  Indian  Empire,  which  has  helped 
to  swell  the  vast  wealth,  and  the  cumbrous  capital  of  England, 
from  whose  arena  haVe  come  forth  such  splendid  and  colossal 
characters,  as  Cleve,  and  Wellington,  and  Metcalf,  and  the 
Laurences,  and  Havelock ;  and  which  has  furnished  the  church 
of  Christ  a  field  on  which  to  display  the  Apostolic  virtues  and 
the  primitive  self-sacrifice  of  Middleton,  and  Heber,  and  Wil- 
son, of  Henry  Martyn,  of  Fox  and  Ragland. 

Without  doubt  God  designs  as  great  things  as  these  for 
Africa,  and  among  the  «neans  and  agencies  He  will  employ, 
commercial  enterprise  is  most  certainly  one.  To  this  end 
however,  high  souls  and  lofty  resolves  are  necessary,  as  in  any 
other  vocation  of  life.  Of  course  the  timid,  the  over-cautious, 
the  fearful;  men  in  whose  constitution  FAITH  is  a  needed 
quality,  are  not  fitted  for  this  service.  If  ever  the  epoch  of 
negro  civilization  is  brought  about  in  Africa  ;  whatever  exter- 
nal influences  may  be  brought  to  bear  upon  this  end  ;  what- 
ever foreign  agencies  and  aids,  black  men  themselves  are 
without  doubt  to  be  the  chief  instruments.  But  they  are  to 
be  men  of  force  and  energy  ;  men  who  will  not  suffer  them- 
selves to  be  outrivaled  in  enterprise  and  vigor ;  men  who  are 
prepared  for  pains,  and  want  and  suffering  ;  men  of  such 
invincible  courage  that  the  spirit  can  not  be  tamed  by  tran- 
sient failures,  incidental  misadventure,  or  even  glaring  miscaL 


20 

.. 

dilations ;  men  who  can  exaggerate  the  feeblest  resources  into 
potent  agencies  and  fruitful  capital.  Moreover  these  men  are 
to  have  strong  moral  proclivities,  "equal  to  the  deep  penetra- 
tion and  the  unyielding  tenacity  of  their  minds.  No  greater 
curse  could  be  entailed  upon  Africa  than  the  sudden  appear- 
ance upon  her  shores,  of  a  mighty  host  of  heartless  black  buc- 
caneers [for  such  indeed  they  would  prove  themselves ;] — 
men  sharpened  up  by  letters  and  training  ;  filled  with  feverish 
greed  ;  with  hearts  utterly  alien  from  moral  good  and  human 
well-being ;  and  only  regarding  Africa  as  a  convenient  gold- 
field  from  which  to  extract  emolument  and  treasure  to  carry 
off  to  foreign  quarters. 

Such  men  would  only  reproduce  the  worst  evils  of  the  last 
three  sad  centuries  of  Africa's  history  ;  and  quickly  and  inevi- 
tably so  soil  their  character,  that  the  just  imputation  would  be 
fastened  upon  them  of  tHat  malignant  lie  which  has  recently 
been  spread  abroad  through  Europe  'and  America  against  us ; 

that  is,  of  complicity  with  the  slave  trade.* 

I 

*  Nothing  can  be  more  judicious  than  the  following  words  of  Commander 
Foote — "  Let  then  the  black  man  be  judged  fairly,  and  not  presumed  to  have 
become  all  at  once  and  by  miracle,  of  a  higher  order  than  old  historic  nations, 
through  many  generations  of  whom  the  political  organization  of  the  world  has 
been  slowly  developing  itself.  There  will  be  among  them  men  who  are  covetous, 
or  men  who  are  tyrannical,  or  men  who  would^sacrifice  public  interests,  or  any 
others  to  their  own  ;  men  who  would  now  go  into  the  slave  trade  if  they  could,  or 
rob  hen  roosts,  or  intrigue  for  office,  or  pick  pockets,  rather  than  trouble  their  heads 
or  their  hands  with  more  honorable  occupations.  It  should  be  remembered  by 
visitors  that  such  things  will  be  found  in  Liberia ;  not  because  men  are  black,  but 
because  men  are  men."  AFRICA  AND  THE  AMERICAN  FLAG,  p.  206. 

It  is  most  encouraging  to  find  ever  and  anon  a  writer  who  in  speaking  of  colored 
men  avoids  the  exaggeration  of  them  either  into  demi-gods  or  monkeys.  Even 
Commander  Foote  well  nigh  loses  his  balance,  on  the  same  page  whence  the 
above  just  sentence  is  taken.  In  the  paragraph  which  immediately  follows  this 
extract,  he  gives  expression  to  opinions  sweepingly  disparaging  to  the  negro  race> 
and  not  of  certain  historical  accuracy.  Commander  Foote  says — "  No  negro  has 
done  anything  to  lighten  or  brighten  the  links  of  human  policy."  Such  a  broad  asser- 
tion implies  that  the  Avriter  has  cleared  up  all  the  mysteries  of  past  history  ;  but 
upon  the  point,  that  is,  "  the  relation  of  Egypt  to  the  negro  race,"  though  still  a 
disputed  question  ;  yet,  with  such  authorities  on  our  side  as  Dr.  Pitchard,  Cardinal 
Wiseman  and  that  ripe  scholar,  the  late  Alexander  H.  Everett,  one  would  have 
supposed  Commander  Foote  would  have  been  a  little  less  venturesome.  Moreoverj 
I  beg  to  say  that  TOUISSANT  L'OUVERTURE  is  an  historical  character.  GOOD- 
WIN, in  his  lectures  on  colonial  slavery  says  :  "  Can  the  West  India  Islands,  since 


21  VKiff 

Happily  for  Africa,  most  the  yearnings  of  her  sons  ow 
her  are  gentle,  humane  and  generous.  When  the  commercial 
one  shall  show  itself,  it  will  not  differ,  I  feel  assured,  from  all 
the  others  her  children  have  showed.  God  grant  that  it  may 
soon  burst  from  many  warm  and  ardent  and  energetic  hearts, 
for  the  rescue  of  a  continent ! 

SECOND.  I  proceed  to  show  that  the  whole  coast  offers 
facilities  for  adventurous  traders.  There  are  few,  if  any  local- 
ities but  where  they  can  set  up  their  factories  and  commence 
business.  If  there  are  exceptions  they  are  rare;  and  even 
then,  not  really  such,  but  cases  where  at  some  previous  time 
the  natives  have  been  so  basely  and  knavishly  treated,  that 
they  themselves  have  learned  to  practice  the  same  upon  some 
hapless,  unsuspecting  captain  and  his  crew.  As  a  general 
thing,  however,  native  African  chiefs  court  and  invite  the 
residence  of  a  trader  in  their  neighborhood ;  will  give  him 
protection;  and  will  strive 'to  secure  his  permanent  stay.  On 
our  Liberian  coast  we  see  the  proof  of  this  in  the  many  facto- 
ries in  existence  at  divers  points.  I  nave  myself  seen  mere 
boys, — young  Englishmen  not  of  age, — who  have  come  out 
to  this  country  seeking  their  fortunes,  living  on  the  coast  in 
native  towns,  without  any  civilized  companionship,  and  carry- 
ing on  a  thriving  trade.  The  chiefs  have  an  interest  in  these 
men,  and  therefore  make  their  residence  safe  and  comfortable. 
The  traders'  presence  and  barter  give  the  King  or  head-man 
importance,  increase  his  wealth,  augment  his  influence  in 
the  neighborhood,  swell  the  population  of  his  town,  and  thus 
make  it  the  center  or  capital  of  the  surrounding  region.  But 
even  if  it  were  not  thus,  the  security  of  traders  is  insured  by 
-the  felt  power  of  the  three  great  nations  of  the  civilized 
world.  Such,  and  so  great  is  the  naval  force  of  England, 
France,  and  America,  on  this  coast,  that  the  coast  may  be 
regarded  as  protected.  The  native  chiefs,  for  many  hundred 

»• 

their  first  discovery  by  Columbus,  boast  a  single  name  which  deserves  comparison 
with  that  of  Touissant  L'Ouverture  ?  "  Read  Harriet  Martineau's  "  Hour  and 
the  man : "  Wordsworth's  fine  Sonnet  addressed  to  "  Touissant  in  prison ;  "  and 
the  noble  Poem  of  John  G.  Whittier,  on  the  same  theme ;  and  then  compare  the 
opinions  of  these  high  names  with  Commander  Foote's  broad  assertions. 


v 

miles,  have  been  taught  to  fear  the  destructive  instruments  of 
war  they  carry  with  them,  and  now  a  days  but  seldom  give 
occasion  for  their  use. 

But  aside  from  all  this,  I  may  remark  here,  1st,  that  of  all 
rude  and  uncivilized  men,  the  native  African  is  the  mildest 
and  most  gentle  ;  and  2nd,  that  no  people  in  the  world  are  so 
given  to  trade  and  barter  as  the  negroes  of  the  western  coast 
of  Africa. 

THIRDLY.  Let  me  refer  to  the  means  and  facilities  colored 
men  have  for  an  entrance  upon  African  commerce.  And  1st, 
I  would  point  out  the  large  amount  of  capital  which  is  lying 
in  their  hands  dead  and  unproductive.  There  is,  as  you  are 
doubtless  aware,  no  small  amount  of  wealth  possessed  by  the 
free  colored  population  of  the  United  States,  both  North  and 
South.  Notwithstanding  the  multitudinous  difficulties  which 
beset  them  in  the  pathway  of  improvement,  our  brethren  have 
shown  capacity,  perseverance,  oftentimes  thrift  and  acquisi- 
tiveness. As  a  consequence  they  are,  all  over  the  Union,  own- 
ers  of  houses,  farms,  Homesteads,  and  divers  other  kinds  of 
property  ;  and  stored  away  in  safe  quarters,  they  have  large 
amounts  of  gold  and  silver  ;  deep  down  in  large  stockings,  in 
the  corners  of  old  chests,  in  dark  and  undiscoverable  nooks 
and  crannies  ;  besides  larger  sums  invested  in  banks,  and 
locked  up  in  the  safes  of  city  savings  banks. 

I  have  no  statistics  by  me  of  the  population  and  property  of 
the  '  colored  people  of  Cincinnati,  but  I  am  told  that  their 
wealth  exceeds  that  of  the  same  class,  in  any  other  city  in  the 
American  Union  —  that  is,  according  to  their  numbers.  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  Charleston,  S.  C.,St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Mobile  and  New 
Orleans,  stand  in  nearly  the  same  category.  Baltimore  holds 
a  respectable  position.  In  the  "  Weekly  Anglo-  African," 
(September,  1859,)  I  find  that  the  CHURCH  PROPERTY  of  the 
colored  population  in  Philadelphia  is  put  down  at  $231,484. 
Doubtless  their  personal  real  estate  must  be  worth  millions, 
And  the  same  must  be  true  of  New  York  city. 

The  greater  portion  of  their  wealth,  however,  is  unproduc- 
tive. As  a  people  we  have  been  victimized  in  a  pecuniary 
point  of  view,  as  well  as  morally  and  politically  ;  and  as  a 


23 

consequence  there  is  an  almost  universal  dread  of  entrusting 
our  monies  in  the  hands  of  capitalists,  and  trading  companies, 
and  stock ;  though  in  the  great  cities  large  sums  are  put  in 
savings  banks.  There  are  few,  however,  who  have  the  cour- 
age to  take  shares  in  railroad  and  similar  companies,  and  in 
many  places  it  could  not  be  done. 

There  is  one  most  pregnant  fact  that  will  serve  to  show, 
somewhat,  their  monetary  ability.  "  THE  AFRICAN  METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  "  is  one  of  the  denominations  of  the  United 
States.  It  has  its  own  organization  ;  its  own  bishops  ;  its 
conferences,  its  organ,  or  magazine  ;  and  these  entirely  inter 
se — absolutely  disconnected  with  all  the  white  denominations 
of  America.  This  religious  body  is  spread  out  in  hamlet, 
village,  town  and  city,  all  through  the  eastern,  northern,  west- 
ern, and  (partly)  the  southern  States.  But  the  point  to  which 
I  desire  to  direct  your  attention  is  the  fact  that  they  have  built 
and  now  own  some  30*0  church  edifices,  mostly  brick  ;  and  in 
the  large  cities,  such  as  New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Balti- 
more, they  are  large,  imposing,  capacious,  and  will  seat  some 
two  or  three  thousand  people.  The  free  black  people  of  the 
United  States  built  these  churches ;  the  funds  were  gathered 
from  their  small  and  large  congregations ;  and  in  some  cases 
they  have  been  known  to  collect,  that  is,  in  Philadelphia  and 
Baltimore,  at  one  collection,  over  $1,000.  The  aggregate 
value  of  their  property  can  not  be  less  than  $5,000,000. 

Now  this,  you  will  notice,  is  an  exhibit  of  the  corporate 
monied  power  of  but  one  class  of  our  brethren.  I  have  said 
nothing  about  the  Episcopal  churches,  of  the  Presbyterians,  of 
the  Baptists,  nor  of  the  divers  sections  of  the  Methodists. 
But  this  will  suffice.  You  can  easily  see  from  the  above,  that 
there  must  be  a  large  amount  of  pecuniary  means  in  the  hands 
of  the  free  colored  population  of  the  American  States. 

2nd.  I  turn  now  to  another  of  their  facilities  for  engaging 
in  African  commerce.  I  refer  to  NAVIGATION.  And  here  I 
might  rest  the  case  upon  the  fact  that  money  will  purchase 
vessels,  and  command  seamen  and  navigators.  But  you 
already  have  both.  Turn  for  a  moment  to  New  Bedford, 
Mass. '  It  is  now  some  twenty  years  since  I  visited  that  im- 


24 

portant  seaport.  Though  but  a  boy,  I  kept  my  eyes  open, 
especially  upon  the  condition  of  our  race  there  ;  and  I  re- 
tain still  a  vivid  remembrance  of  the  signs  of  industry  and 
thrift  among  them,  of  the  evidences  of  their  unusual  wealth, 
and  of  their  large  interest  in  shipping.  I  had  the  names  of  sev- 
eral parties  mentioned  to  me  who  were  owners  of  whale  craft, 
and  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  some  of  them.  Among  these 
I  remember  well  some  youthful  descendants  of  Paul  Cuifee. 
The  same  state  of  things,  I  apprehend  exists,  though  perhaps 
in  a  much  less  degree,  in  some  places  in  Connecticut ;  on  the 
Hudson,  that  is,  at  Albany  and  Newburgh,  in  the  State  of 
New  York  ;  on  the  Potomac ;  at  St.  Louis,  on  the  Mississippi, 
and  on  the  Red  River.  There  are  scores,  if  not  hundreds  of 
colored  men  who  own  schooners,  and  other  small  craft  in  those 
localities  ;  pilots  and  engineers,  captains  and  seamen,  who,  if 
once  moved  with  a  generous  impulse  to  redeem  the  land  of 
their  fathers,  could,  in  a  brief  time,  form  a  vast  commercial 
marine,  equal  to  all  the  necessities  of  such  a  glorious  project. 
Let  me  dwell  for  a  moment  upon  one  suggestion,  that  is, 
the  facilities  for  securing  seamen,  and  the  comparative  ease  of 
forming  crews.  Colored  seamen,  in  large  numbers,  I  appre- 
hend, can  easily  be  obtained.  Even  in  the  United  States 
their  numbers  are  legion  ;  and  we  may  proudly  say  that,  in 
activity,  dutifulness  and  skill,  they  are  equal  to  any  sailors  on 
the  globe.  Nor  would  there  be  any  great  lack  of  the  needed 
class  just  above  the  grade  of  sailors,  that  is,  a  class  who  would 
join  intelligence  and  knowledge  to  practicalness.  What  a  num- 
ber of  men,  trained  to  a  late  boyhood  in  the  colored  schools, 
do  we  not  know  who  have  sailed  for  years  out  of  New  York  as 
"stewards"  in  the  great  "  liners"  !  How  many  of  these  are 
there  not,  who  both  at  school  and  by  experience,  have  attained 
a  real  scientific  acquaintance  with  navigation.  And  how 
many  of  them,  had  they  been  white  men,  would  long  ere  this, 
have  risen  to  the  posts  of  mates  and  captains !  How  many  of 
such  could  you  and  I  point  out,  who  were  our  school-mates, 
in  the  old  "  free  school,"  in  Mulberry  street !  * 

*  In  a  most  elaborate  paper,  entitled  "  THE  NIGER  TRADE,"  by  Sir  George 
Stephen,  (Simpkin,  Marshall  &  Co.,  London,  1849,)  the  author  shows,  most 


"25 

Here,  then,  you  have  the  material  and  the  designated  agen- 
cy for  an  almost  boundless  commercial  staff,  for  the  purposes 
of  trade  in  West  Africa.  The  facts  I  have  adduced  can  not, 
I  think,  be  disputed.  And  on  the  condition  that  this  ma- 
chinery is  brought  into  operation,  the  influences  and  results 
are  easily  anticipated.  It  must  follow,  as  a  necessity,  that  the 
trade  and  commerce  of  Africa  shall  fall  into  the  hands  of 
black  men.  At*  an  early  day  whole  fleets  of  vessels,  manned 
and  officered  by  black  men  from  the  United  States  and  Libe- 
ria, would  outrival  all  the  other  agencies  which  are  now  being 
used  for  grasping  West  African  commerce.  Large  and  im- 
portant houses  would  spring  into  existence  among  you,  all 
through  the  states.  Wealth  would  flow  into  your  coffers,  and 
affluence  would  soon  exhibit  itself  anftd  all  your  associations. 
The  reproach  of  penury  and  the  consciousness  of  impotency 
in  all  your  relations  would  rapidly  depart.  And  as  a  people 
you  would  soon  be  able  to  make  yourselves  a  felt  element  of 
society  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  on  the  soil  where  you  were 
born. 

These  are  some  of  the  material  influences  which  would 
result  from  this  movement.  The  moral  and  philanthropic 
results  would  be  equally  if  not  more  notable.  The  kings  and 
tradesmen  of  Africa,  having  the  demonstration  of  negro  ca- 
pacity before  them,  would  hail  the  presence  of  their  black 
kinsmen  from  America,*  and  would  be  stimulated  to  a  gener- 
ous emulation.  To  the  farthest  interior,  leagues  and  combi- 
nations would  be  formed  with  the  men  of  commerce,  and  thus 
civilization,  enlightenment  and  Christianity  would  be  carried 
to  every  state,  and  town,  and  village  of  interior  Africa.  The 

clearly,  the  need  and  the  practicability  of  employing  the  agency  of  black  men,  for 
the  purposes  of  African  civilization.  Sir  George  suggested  the  employment  of  them, 
in  the  [British]  naval  as  well  as  merchant  service ;  in  all  grades  of  office,  from 
seamen  and  marines  up  to  naval  officers  ;  and  he  points  to  the  West  India  Colo- 
nies, and  Hayti,  remarking,  "  Hayti  has  a  navy  exceeding  twenty  in  number,  of 
which  four  are  steamers  ;  all  are,  of  course,  manned  and  officered  by  black  or  col- 
ored men."  In  this  paper,  Sir  George  quotes  and  emphasises  the  words  of  Mc- 
Queen— "  It  is  by  African  hands  and  African  exertions  chiefly  that  the  evil  must  be 
rooted  out." 

*  Just  this  has  been  the  experience  of  Dr.  Delany,  as  I  hear  from  valued  friends 
there,  at  Lagos,  and  other  places. 

4 


26 

galling  remembrances  of  the  slave  trade  on  the  coast,  and  of 
slavery  in  America,  would  quicken  the  blood  and  the  brain  of 
both  parties ;  and  every  wretch  of  a  slave  trader  who  might 
visit  the  coast,  would  have  to  atone  for  his  temerity  by  sub- 
mitting to  the  rigid  code  framed  for  piracy.  And  when  this 
disturbing  and  destructive  hindrance  to  African  progress  was 
once  put  down,  noble  cities,  vast  agricultural  establishments, 
the  seeds  of  universities,  and  ground-work  of  church  organi- 
zations, would  spring  up  all  along  the  banks,  and  up  the  valley 
of  the  Niger.* 

There  is  one  certain  commercial  result — to  return  to  my 
subject — that  would  surely  grow  out  of  this  movement ;  I 
mean  the  flow  of  large  amounts  of  capital  from  the  monied 
men  of  America,  that  is,  if  black  men  showed  skill,  energy 
and  practicability.  Philanthropy  would  come  forward  with 
largess  for  colored  men,  thus  developing  the  resources  of  Af- 
rica. Religion  would  open  a  large  and  generous  hand  in  order 
to  hasten  the  redemption  of  a  continent,  alien  from  Christ  and 
His  church.  And  capital  would  hasten  forward,  not  only  for 
its  wonted  reduplication,  but  also  to  exemplify  the  vitality  and 
fruitfulness  which  it  always  scatters  from  golden  hands  in  its 
open  pathway.  And  when  you  consider  the  fact  of  kinship, 
on  our  part,  with  Africa,  the  less  liability  to  fever,  the  incen- 
tive to  gain,  the  magnificent  objects  before  us,  and  the  mag- 
nificent field  on  which  to  develop  them,  and  the  probable  early 
power  of  intelligent  black  men  to  penetrate,  scathless,  any 
neighborhood  where  they  might  reside,  you  can  see  the  likeli- 
hood of  an  early  repossession  of  Africa,  in  trade,  commerce, 
and  moral  power,  by  her  now  scattered  children,  in  distant 
lands. 

For  the  carrying  out  such  a  plan  you  have,  I  repeat  myself, 
you  have  almost,  if  not  quite,  all  the  needed  means  and  agen- 
cies, even  now,  at  hand.  You  have,  all  through  the  states, 
men  who  can  at  once  furnish  the  capital  for  the  commence- 
ment of  such  a  venture.  You  know  I  am  not  wont  to  exag- 
gerate the  wealth  of  colored  men.  In  such  matters  I  prefer 

*  The  great  hindrance  to  African  evangelization  at  the  present  time  is  the  slave 
trade.  Missionaries  feel  this  all  along  the  coast,  from  Cape  Palmas  to  Congo. 


27 

fact  to  conjecture  ;  for* certainly  among  us  on  this  subject, 
imagination  has  too  often  proved  "  a  forward  and  delusive  fac- 
ulty." Yet  I  do  know  of  some  of  our  brethren  in  the  States 
who  have  become  monied  men, — not  millionaires  indeed,  but 
men  worth  their  thousands.  Some  of  these  men  are  more 
prominent  individuals  than  others,  and  as  their  names  are  not 
unfrequently  mentioned  in  such  a  connection  as  this,  it  may 
not  seem  invidious  in  a  like  mention  on  these  pages.  Some 
of  these  persons  are  acquaintances — a  few,  old  friends  of  for- 
mer years,  but  the  most  are  personally  unknown  to  me. 
There  are  Eev.  Stephen  Smith,  William  Whipper,  Esq.,  of 
Philadelphia ;  Messrs.  Knight  &  Smith,  of  Chicago,  111. ; 
Messrs.  Cook  &  Moxly,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  Youngs  &  Wilcox, 
of  Cincinnati,  &c.,  &c. 

It  is  possible  that  in  a  few  instances  earnest  prejudice  against 
everything  African  may  cause  displeasure  at  this  designation. 
Any  one  can  see  thatvl  have  intended  nothing  discourteous ; 
and  it  should  be  remembered  that  commercial  enterprise  in 
Africa  has  no  necessary  connection  with  emigration,  or  colo- 
nization. How  great  soever  the  diversities  of  opinion  upon 
these  points,  on  this  platform  Douglass  and  Delany  can  stand 
beside  the  foremost  citizens  and  merchants  of  Liberia.  Hence 
those  men  whose  feelings  are  the  most  averse  to  anything  like 
colonization,  can  not  object  to  the  promotion  of  trade  and  the 
acquisition  of  wealth.  Indeed,  I  have  no  doubt  that  there 
are  thousands  who  would  be  glad  of  a  safe  investment  in  any- 
thing wherein  there  is  probability  of  advantage.  Moreover 
the  fretted  mind  of  our  brethren  needs  distraction  from  griefs 
and  the  causes  of  grief.  Just  now,  when  darkness  shrouds 
their  Southron  heavens,  what  could  be  more  opportune,  what 
more  desirable  than  such  a  movement.  The  danger  is  that 
thousands  of  them,  in  their  sorrows,  may  sit  down,  hopeless, 
careless,  and 

" Nurse  despair 

And  feed  the  dreadful  appetite  of  death." 

Your  leading  men  should  strive  to  occupy  the  vacant  minds 
of  their  despairing  brethren  by  the  healthful  stimulant  of  duty 
and  enterprise. 


28 

Doubtless  there  are  many  persons  in  the  States  who  will 
view  the  above  suggestions  in  connection  with  the  Liberian 
Republic,  and  in  my  opinion  it  will  be  wise  and  judicious  for 
them  so  to  do.  I  have  nothing  extravagant  to  say  about  Libe- 
ria. It  is  a  theme  upon  which  I  never  fall  into  ecstacies.  I 
can  not  find  in  it  as  yet  place  or  occasion  for  violent  raptures. 
I  get  started  a  little,  at  times,  from  cool  equanimity,  when  I 
read  the  wonderful  tales  of  travelers  about,  the  country,  or 
the  first  letters  of  enthusiastic  settlers.  Liberia  is  a  young 
country,  hardly  yet  "  in  the  gristle," — laying,  as  I  dare  to 
affirm,  good  foundations,  but  with  much  pain,  great  trials, 
consuming  anxieties,  and  with  the  price  of  great  tribulation, 
and  much  mortality.  But  is  not  this  the  history  of  all  young 
countries  ?  Has  not  God  married  pain  and  suffering  and  death , 
to  the  fresh  beginnings  of  all  new  nationalities  ?  Would  it 
not  be  marvelous,  noti  to  say  miraculous,  if  it  were  true,  that 
the  history  of  this  colony — for  it  is  nothing  more  than  a  col- 
ony as  yet — that  it  had  been  exempted  from  these  trials  ? 
And  what  right  have  we  to  expect  that  God,  in  these  days, 
will  work  miracles,  especially  for  black  men  ?* 

I  have  never  been  disappointed  in  anything  moral,  social  or 
political  that  I  have  met  with  in  this  land.  I  came  to  the 
country  expecting  all  the  peculiarities  of  struggling  colonial 
life,  with  the  added  phase  of  imported  habits,  tinctured  with 
the  deterioration,  the  indifference,  the  unthriftiness,  which 
are  gendered  by  any  servile  system.  "All  work  is  badly  done 
by  people  in  despair,"  says  Pliny  the  naturalist. f  A  forty 
days'  passage  through  the  deep  sea  can  not  effect  such  a  regen- 
erating influence  as  to  alter  character,  and  to  implant  hope, 

*  "  No  new  country  can  be  founded  unless  under  the  greatest  difficulties.  It  is 
the  universal  law  of  experience,  that  however  in  the  late  stages  of  their  existence 
colonies  may  be  prosperous,  and  to  what  state  soever  they  may  have  advanced  in 
the  accumulation  of  wealth,  their  infant  life  must  always  be  a  life  of  difficulty  and 
peril." — Rt.  Hon.  W.  E.  Gladstone,  Speech  before  Propagation  Soc.,  Liverpool, 
1858. 

t  LORD  BACON  discourses  most  pertinently  and  powerfully  to  the  same  effect. 
See  Art.  33  of  "Plantations,"  "  Bacon's  Essays  and  Wisdom  of  the  Ancients." 
I  regret  I  can  not  copy  the  whole  of  it  here. 


29 

ambition,  thrift,  order,  and  perseverance,  where  they  have 
never  been  cultivated. 

These  anticipations  proved  correct,  save  that  I  found  a 
stronger  and  a  more  general  disposition  to  labor  than  the  sad 
history  of  our  brethren  warranted  my  looking  for.*  Many 
things  gratified  me  from  the  first.  Since  then  Liberia  has 
grown  much.  Development  shows  itself  on  every  side.  The 
acquisition  principle  manifests  itself,  and  in  less  than  ten 
years  large  fortunes  will  be  made ;  extensive  farms  spring  up ; 
ships  be  built  on  our  rivers  and  sail  to  Europe  and  America. 
There  is  every  sign,  too,  that  the  springs  of  trade  will  shortly, 
through  our  own  direct  influence,  be  started  through  all  our 
native  population,  for  200  miles  in  the  interior ;  and  that  this 
trade  will  be  our  own ;  and  that  it  will  originate  a  commerce 
excelling  that  of  Sierra  Leone.  I  believe  verily  that  the 
great  principles  of  industry,  of  thrift,  and  expansion  are  daily 
taking  deeper  root  in  the  soil ;  and  that  ultimately  they  will 
outgrow  and  exclude  all  the  weeds  of  lazy  self-content,  inflated 
and  exaggerated  vanity,  unthrift,  and  extravagance.  Of  course 
we  have  here  stupid  obstructions,  men  who  cling  tenaciously 
to  the  "  dead  past;"  a  few  millinered  and  epauleted  gentry, 

*  The  people  of  Liberia  are  not  lazy,  although  I  am  sorry  to  say,  appearances 
are  sometimes  against  them.  The  case  is  this  : — Many  new  men  do  not  know  how  to 
labor  for  THEMSELVES  !  They  come,  at  a  mature  age,  when  their  habits  are  fixed, 
into  a  new  school,  the  operations  of  which  they  are  unacquainted  with.  They  go 
into  the  "bush,"  and  its  formidableness  overcomes,  and  crushes  them;  they  sit 
down  in  despair  and  do  nothing,  and  many  perish.  "Are  not  such  men  lazy  ?  " 
asks  some  objector.  I  say  no  !  and  my  reason  for  saying  so  is  this  :  In  the  year 
1856  there  were  scores  of  the  class  above  described  on  the  St.  Paul's  river,  doing 
nothing.  Some  four  or  five  farmers  commenced  the  cultivation  of  sugar  cane  and 
the  manufacture  of  sugar.  This  new  effort  required  large  numbers  of  laborers, 
and  as  soon  as  the  need  was  known,  the  river  was  alive  with  men  seeking  labor. 
Who  were  these  men  1  The  hopeless,  the  despairing  men,  who  could  not  see  their 
way  through  the  "  bush,"  and  could  not  improve  their  own  farmsteads.  I  have 
seen  scores  of  these  men  trudging  through  the  rain  and  mud,  in  the  rainy  season, 
or  paddling  in  fragile  canoes,  seeking  the  larger  plantations,  clamorous  for  labor  ; 
and  I  have  seen  the  supply  so  great  that  a  dozen  men  had  to  be  refused  at  a  time. 
Why  was  this  1  These  men  had  been  unaccustomed  to  self  support.  Placed  un- 
der a  proprietor,  heart  and  limb  were  alive  with  an  industrious  impulse.  Liberia 
needs  CAPITALISTS  who  can  employ  this  large  class  of  men.  Mr.  RUFFIN,  of 
Virginia,  will  perhaps  claim  this  as  a  proof  that  black  men  must  have  masters. 
Students  of  "  Political  Economy  "  will  put  it  among  the  facts  which  show  that 
where  capital  languishes,  men  die,  both  in  body  and  soul, 


30 

" Neat  and  trimly  dressed, 

And  fresh  as  bridegrooms/' 

who  would  civilize  our  heathen  neighbors  with  powder  and 
shot ;  and  a  few  unthinking,  unreasoning  men,  who  verily  be- 
lieve that  the  foundations  of  all  great  states  have  been  laid  in 
barter  and  pelf.  But  these  are  by  no  means  the  representative 
men  of  the  land.  If  they  were,  I  should  despair  of  any  fu- 
ture for  Liberia,  and  depart. 

We  have  another,  a  larger  class  than  these ;  a  class  which 
comprises  awakened  old  men,  and  generous  and  ardent  youth ; 
the  minds,  whose  great  object  in  life  is  not  mere  gain,  or  com- 
fort ;  but  who  feel  that  they  have  a  great  work  to  accomplish 
for  their  children,  for  their  race,  and  for  God  ;  who  feel  that 
they  have  been  called  to  this  mission,  and  who  wish  to  spend 
themselves  in  the  expansion  and  compacting  of  this  youthful 
republic,  to  save  bleeding,  benighted  Africa,  and  to  help  re- 
deem the  continent.  I  assure  you  that  there  is  a  school  of 
this  character  in  Liberia ;  men  who  feel  obligated  to  philan- 
thropy, who  are  burdened  with  a  sense  of  duty;  who  have  the 
keenest,  most  sensitive  feeling  of  race,  who  love  Africa,  who 
are  anxious  for  the  welfare  of  the  whole  negro  family,  who 
labor  with  all  their  might  for  the  advancement  of  industry 
and  civilization,  who  would  fain  glorify  God.  When  I  look 
upon  this  class  of  men,  and  mark  their  ways,  I  feel  that  the 
country  will  yet  attain  standing  and  reach  some  distinction.* 

It  is  these  thoughts  and  observations,  and  some  experiences, 

*  I  can  not  better  illustrate  the  importance  of  such  a  class,  as  above  mentioned, 
in  Liberia,  than  by  referring  to  a  paragraph  from  a  speech  recently  sent  me  by  a 
friend :  "If  the  founders  of  the  American  Republic  had  been  formed  by  the  same 
materials  as  the  settlers  of  California,  the  genius  and  liberties  of  America  would 
have  been  lost  in  anarchy  or  absorbed  in  an  inevitable  despotism.  It  was  because, 
on  however  small  a  scale,  they  were  senators  and  soldiers,  impressed  with  a  due 
sense  of  the  heavy  responsibility  that  rested  upon  them,  and  not  mere  money-get- 
ters, that  they  succeeded  in  laying  the  foundations  of  the  greatest  republic  in  the 
world.  They  never  lost  sight  of  the  responsibility  of  the  task  they  had  under- 
taken,— they  felt  that  they  were  going  for  a  high  position  in  the  eyes  of  the  world, 
and  to  set  an  example  for  all  ages.  Feeling  this,  the  early  settlers  of  New  Eng. 
land  accomplished  their  mission." 

JOHN  EGBERT  GODLY,  ESQ., 
before  the  "  Canterbury  Association/'  London. 


31 

which  lead  me  to  think  that  those  who  look  upon  Liberia  in 
connection  with  their  commercial  desires,  are  wise.  I  have  no 
wish  to  discourage  those  who  are  looking  to  the  banks  of  the 
Niger.  God  bless  them,  every  way,  if  that  is  indeed  their 
mission !  But,  as  an  individual,  I  have  earnestly  desired  a 
non-sanguinary  evangelization  of  West  Africa.  All  empire, 
the  world  over,  in  rude  countries,  has  been  cemented  by  blood. 
In  Western  Africa  the  tribes,  universally,  save  in  Liberia,  are 
strong,  independent,  warlike.  Even  British  prowess,  both  at 
Sierra  Leone,  and  on  the  Gold  coast,  succumbs,  at  times,  to 
their  indomitable  spirit.  And  thus  you  see  that  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  strong  black  civilization  in  central  Africa,  a 
strong  and  a  bloody  hand  must  be  used.  Color  is  nothing, 
anywhere.  Civilized  condition  differences  men,  all  over  the 
globe.  Besides  this,  I  have  had  a  prejudice  that  that  field 
God  had  given  to  the  freed  and  cultivated  men  of  Sierra  Le- 
one,— that  they  were  better  fitted  to  the  evangelization  of  the 
Niger  than  we ;  that  we,  with  our  peculiarities,  bred  amid 
American  institutions,  might  prove  a  disturbing  element  to 
the  great  work,  for  which,  by  blood,  training,  lingual  capacity, 
and  the  sympathy  of  character  and  habits,  they  were  pecu- 
liarly fitted ;  and  that  our  governmental  proclivities  might  jar 
with  what  seems  a  manifest  providence,  that  is,  that  Christianity 
is  to  be  engrafted  upon  such  strong  states  as  Dahomey  and 
Ashantee  ;  whose  fundamental  governmental  basis,  it  seems  to 
me,  it  is  not  for  the  interests  of  civilization  and  of  Africa  to 
revolutionize  or  to  disturb. 

I  would  not  pretend  to  argue  these  points,  much  less  to 
dogmatise  upon  them ;  for  the  need  of  a  civilizing  element  at 
LAGOS,  especially,  at  Abbeokuta,  and  on  the  Niger,  is  so  great 
that  I  fear  even  to  state  the  above  impressions.  And  I  stand 
ready  to  hail,  at  any  time,  any  nucleus  of  freedom  and  en- 
lightenment that  may  spring  up  anywhere  on  the  coast  of 
Africa. 

In  Liberia,  we  have  the  noblest  opportunities  and  the  great- 
est advantages.  We  have  a  rich  and  varied  soil, — inferior,  I 
verily  believe,  to  but  few,  if  any,  on  the  globe.  We  have 
some  of  the  proofs,  and  many  of  the  indications  of  varied  and 


32 

vast  mineral  wealth  of  the  richest  qualities.  We  have  a  coun- 
try finely  watered  in  every  section  by  multitudinous  brooks 
and  streams,  and  far-reaching  rivers.  "We  have  a  climate 
which  needs  but  be  educated  and  civilized  and  tempered  by 
the  plastic  and  curative  processes  of  emigration,  clearances 
and  scientific  farming,  to  be  made  as  fine  and  as  temperate  as 
any  land  in  the  tropics  can  be. 

On  this  soil  have  been  laid  the  foundations  of  Republican 
Institutions.  Our  religion  is  Protestant,  with  its  characteris- 
tic tendencies  to  freedom,  progress  and  human  well-being. 
We  are  reaching  forward  as  far  as  a  young  and  poor  nation 
can,  to  a  system  of  common  schools.  Civilization,  that  is,  in 
its  more  simple  forms,  has  displaced  ancestral  paganism  in 
many  sections  of  the  land,  has  taken  permanent  foothold  in 
our  territory,  and  already  extended  its  roots  among  our  hea- 
then kin.  Our  heathen  population,  moreover,  in  the  immedi- 
ate neighborhood  of  our  settlements,  is  but  small  and  sparse  ; 
thus  saving  our  civilization  from  too  strong  an  antagonism, 
and  allowing  it  room,  scope  and  opportunity  for  a  hardy 
growth  in  its  more  early  days.  Active  industry  is  now  ex- 
hibiting unwonted  vigor,  and  begins  to  tell  upon  commerce 
and  the  foreign  market. 

Now  when  you  consider  that  all  these  elements,  humble,  as 
indeed  they  are,  are  our  own ;  that  we  are  the  creature  and 
dependent  of  no  foreign  government ;  you  will  agree  with  me, 
I  think,  that  men  who  have  families  will  act  wisely  in  looking 
narrowly  at  our  advantages,  ere  they  place  themselves  in  cir- 
cumstances where  the  moral  elements  of  life  and  society  are 
more  rude,  and  where  the  formation  agency  and  influence  will 
belong  to  some  foreign  power.  That  these  elements  are  slow 
in  growth  and  expansion  is  true ;  but  this,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, furnishes  probability  of  their  being  sure  and  perma- 
nent. 

I  have  heard  the  poverty  of  our  particular  locality  con- 
trasted with  the  richness  of  other  parts  of  West  Africa.  Well, 
this  may  be  the  case ;  but  I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
there  is  no  nobler,  more  commanding  position  in  West  Africa, 
than  that  of  Liberia.  We  hold,  I  think,  the  key  to  the  vast 


33 

interior.  You  have  heard  it  said,  and  seen  it  published,  that 
we  have  no  great  rivers.  But  the  St.  Paul's,  the  Booma,*  the 
St.  John's,  and  the  Cavalla  rivers,  stretch  away  into  the  far 
interior  300  and  400  miles,  with  great  breadth,  and  with  a 
vast  volume  of  water.  That  they  come  from  the  same  great 
water-shed  from  whence,  on  an  opposite  side  the  Niger  drains 
its  mighty  waters,  seems  almost  a  certainty.  And  if  so,  the 
valley  of  the  Niger,  with  its  wondrous  resources,  and  its  teem- 
ing wealth,  will,  ultimately,  be  as  available  to  us  as  any  other 
people.  At  present,  these  rivers  are  not  navigable  any  great 
distance,  owing  to  falls  and  rapids.  But  black  men  in  Africa 
must  do  what  enterprising  men  do  in  all  other  new  lands ;  they 

must   BEND  NATURE   TO  THEIR  WANTS  AND  WISHES.      Ship  Canals 

are  needed  twenty  miles  from  the  coast,  around  the  rapids  of 
the  St.  Pauls,  and  eighty  miles  from  the  coast  around  the  falls 
of  the  Cavalla ;  and  ship  canals  must  therefore  be  made.  If 
we  have  not  the  means,  we  must  go  to  work  and  acquire  them. 
If  we  have  not  the  science  and  the  skill,  we  must  form  our 
schools  and  colleges,  and  put  our  sons  in  the  way  of  learning 
them.  And  if  we  have  not  the  men,  that  is,  the  population, 
for  such  a  vast  and  laborious  undertaking,  we  must  lift  up  a 
loud  voice,  and  call  upon  hopeful,  vigorous,  intelligent  and 
energetic  black  men,  all  over  the  globe,  "  Ho  to  the  rescue !" 
"  Come  over  and  help  us !" 

And  these  are  just  the  great  needs  of  Liberia  : — men,  learn- 
ing, and  wealth.  And  wealth,  here,  as  an  acquisition,  re- 
quires the  use  of  the  same  means,  and  is  regulated  by  the 
same  laws,  as  in  any  other  land.  It  requires  forecast,  wake- 
fulness,  industry,  thrift,  probity,  and  tireless,  sweatful  toil ; 
as  well  in  tropical  Africa,  as  in  cold  Holland.  There  is  no 
royal  road  to  the  soil. 

"  Nil  nisi  magno 

Vita  labore  dedit  mortalibus." 

As  to  learning-,  we  have  no  greater  need  than  this  game* 

*  The  BOOMA  is  a  river  at  Cape  Mt.  Settlement.  I  heard  that  it  is  the  greatest 
river  in  Liberia.  I  am  just  informed,  as  this  paper  leaves  me,  that  an  acquaint- 
ance has  ascended  it,  some  90  miles,  without  any  obstruction. 

5 


34 

religion ;  and  there  can  be  no  excess  of  means,  no  superabund- 
ance of  agencies,  no  delicacy  or  profundity  of  culture,  una- 
dapted  to  actual  present  needs  of  all  this  wide  region  of 
Liberia.  We  have  our  native  population,  and  we  have  our 
emigrant  youth  and  children — thousands  upon  thousands,  all 
around  us.  And  when  I  look  at  the  quickness,  the  capacity, 
and  the  thirst  of  the  nations  for  enlightenment,  I  can  see  no 
difference  in  the  needs  of  one  from  the  other  ;  I  regard  them 
in  the  general,  as  our  intellectual  equals.  If  I  anticipated  for 
them  a  merely  secular  training,  I  should  prefer  a  difference ; 
but  feeling,  knowing  that  the  Chistian  religion  is  to  mould, 
and  fashion,  and  leaven  everything  here  in  future  times,  I 
go  for  the  highest  culture  that  can  be  given  the  rising  genera- 
tion, arid  hail  every  facility  for  the  furtherance  of  this  end, 
which  providence  grants  us.  In  the  first  passage  of  the  heathen 
from  barbarism  it  will  doubtless  be  advisable  to  make  much 
of  their  training,  physical,  and  to  be  content  with  the  Bible 
and  moral  instruction  ;  but  the  ultimate  aim  should  be,  and 
most  surely  will  be  here,  to  open  to  them  all  the  broad 
avenues  of  instruction  and  culture.  The  great  cause  of  ap- 
prehension, just  now  is,  that  the  means  for  supplying  general 
education  are  but  partial ;  and  that  the  actual  need  created 
by  our  circumstances,  for  the  attainment  of  good  literary  and 
scientific  training  can  not  be  obtained. 

1  I  come  to  population.  We  need  immigration.  We  are 
poor  in  men  and  women.  We  do  not  number  over  14,000 
emigrant  citizens.  Numbers  of  these  are  crippled,  I  mean 
in  soul  more  than  body,  ere  they  come  here.  The  poverty  of 
emigrants  dwarfs  the  otherwise  actual  force  of  the  country ; 
and  old  age,  in  both  sexes,  and  especially  the  fact  that  a  large 
per  centage  of  emigrants  are  helpless  females  with  children, 
without  husbands,  brings  out  the  sad  truth  that  our  real 
available  man-force  is  but  small.  And  yet  the  moral  calls 
upon  us  in  this  new  sphere,  the  intellectual  demands,  and  the 
physical  requirements,  with  the  vastness  of  territory,  and  the 
largeness  of  providential  circumstances  around  us,  while  they 
quicken  imagination,  fix  also  the  conviction  of  helpless  weak- 
ness ;  and  in  some  men  produce  indifference  or  despair ;  in 


35 

others,  vexation  and  painful  anxiousness.  The  population 
question  is  dwarfing  the  powers  of  our  strong  and  earnest 
leaders.  They  can  not  lift  themselves  up  to  grand  ideas,  and 
large  conceptions.  In  all  their  efforts  they  are  "  cribbed, 
cabined  and  confined." 

We  need  this  day  for  the  great  work  before  us,  in  a  region 
of  not  less  than  500,000  square  miles ;  we  need,  I  say,  not 
less  than  50,000  civilized  men.  We  ought  to  be  traveling 
onward  through  the  land ;  and  to  appropriate  and  modify  a 
remark  of  De  Toquevill6s — to  be  "  peopling  our  vast  wilder- 
ness at  the  average  rate  of  at  least  five  miles  per  annum." 
And  for  the  work  of  civilization  and  enlightenment  among  our 
aboriginal  population,  we  should  have  even  now,  a  mental 
power  and  a  moral  force  working  through  all  our  territory, 
fitted  for  just  such  a  transformation  as  has  been  produced  in 
New  Zealand  and  the  Sandwich  Islands,  in  a  period  of  twen- 
ty-five years.  The  |ide  of  immigration,  as  it  now  sets  in, 
promises  us  no  such  results.  Our  ratio  of  increase,  with  our 
present  diverse  disturbing  influences,  is  but  small.  Unfortu- 
nately there  is  no  general  consciousness  of  our  lack  and  need 
in  this  respect.  I  have  had  the»fear  that  some  of  my  fellow- 
citizens  accustomed  themselves  to  look  upon  Liberia  as  a 
"close  corporation."  The  attempt  to  pass  a  "  naturalization 
law,"  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  it  takes  YEAKS  to  add  a 
thousand  living  men  to  our  population,  chiefly  caused  that 
fear.  But  we,  in  common  with  you,  are  becoming  awake  to 
the  conviction  that,  as  a  race,  we  have  a  great  work  to  do. 
The  zeal  of  England  and  of  America,  for  Africa,  is  opening 
our  eyes.  Our  own  thoughtful  men  begin  to  feel  the  binding 
tie  which  joins  them  in  every  interest  and  feeling,  with  the 
negro  race,  all  over  the  globe.  Your  "  Anglo- African  Maga- 
zines," "  Douglas'  Journal,"  and  patriotic  addresses  begin  to 
tell  upon  us.  Arid  soon  there  will  be  a  kindled  eye,  a  quick- 
ened pulse,  a  beating  heart,  and  large  and  generous  emotions, 
for  our  bruised  and  wounded  brethren  everywhere.  And 
when  that  day  comes  the  people  of  Liberia  will  cry  out  :— 
"  We  have  the  largest  advantages  of  all  our  race.  We  have 
the  noblest  field.  Ours  is  the  most  signal  providence ;  and 


36 

our  State  offers  the  grandest  possibilities  of  good,  the  finest  op- 
portunities of  manly  achievement.  Why  then  suifer  ourselves 
to  be  hindered  in  working  out  of '  manifest  destinies '  of  benefi- 
cence to  suffering  Africa  by  the  narrowness  of  our  aims,  or  the 
fewness  of  our  numbers  and  means  ?  It  is  true  we  have  a 
wide  field  to  enter,  and  need  more  and  mightier  men  to  enter 
it.  Let  us  therefore  call  our  skillful  and  enegetic  brethren  to 
come  to  us  and  share  the  suffering  and  the  glory  of  saving 
Africa.  Let  us  stand  on  the  beach  and  on  the  hill-side,  and 
beckon  to  them  in  ALL  LANDS  to  come  and  participate  in 
lofty  duty — in  painful  but  saving  labor,  and  to  aid  in  the  res- 
toration and  enlightenment  of  a  vast  continent !  " 

I  turn  now  to  the  religious  aspect  of  this  subject.  In  speak- 
ing of  the  religious  needs  of  Africa,  it  is  not  necessary  I 
should  attempt  a  picture  of  her  miserable  condition,  nor  enter 
into  the  details  of  her  wretchedness.  Her  very  name  is  sug- 
gestive of  uttermost  spiritual  need ;  of  abounding  moral  des- 
olation ;  of  the  deepest,  darkest  ignorance  ;  of  wild  and  san- 
guinary superstitions.  This  whole  continent,  with  its  million- 
masses  of  heathen,  presents  one  broad,  almost  unbroken, 
unmitigated  view  of  moral  desolation  and  spiritual  ruin.  And 
this  fact  creates  the  demand  upon  the  Christian  world  for 
ministers  and  teachers,  for  the  purpose  of  her  evangelization. 
"  The  field  is  the  world,"  and  the  church  is  to  occupy  it;  and 
she  will  occupy  it. 

As  members  of  the  church  of  Christ,  the  sons  of  Africa  in 
foreign  lands  are  called  upon  to  bear  their  part  in  the  vast  and 
sacred  work  of  her  evangelization.  I  might  press  this  point 
on  the  grounds  of  piety,  of  compassion,  or  sympathy,  but  I 
choose  a  higher  principle.  For  next  to  the  grand  ideas  which 
pertain  to  the  Infinite,  His  attributes  and  perfections,  there  is ' 
none  loftier  and  grander  than  that  of  DUTY — 

"  Stern  daughter  of  the  voice  of  God." 

It  is  the  duty  of  black  men  to  feel  and  labor  for  the  salvation 
of  the  mighty  millions  of  their  kin  all  through  this  conti- 
nent. I  know  that  there  is  a  class  of  her  children  who  repu- 
diate any  close  and  peculiar  connection  with  Africa.  They 


37 

and  their  fathers  have  been  absent  from  this  soil  for  centuries. 
In  the  course  of  time  their  blood  has  been  mingled  somewhat 
with  that  of  other  peoples  and  races.  They  have  been  brought 
up  and  habituated  to  customs  entirely  diverse  from  those  of 
their  ancestors  in  this  land.  And  while  the  race  here  are  in 
barbarism,  they,  on  the  other  hand,  are  civilized  and  enlight- 
ened. 

But  notwithstanding  these  pleas  there  are  other  great  facts 
which  grapple  hold  of  these  men,  and  bind  them  to  this  dark- 
ened, wretched  negro  race,  by  indissoluble  bonds.  There  is 
the  fact  of  kinship,  which  a  lofty  manhood  and  a  proud  gen- 
erosity keeps  them  now,  and  ever  will  keep  them  from  dis- 
claiming. There  are  the  strong  currents  of  kindred  blood 
which  neither  time  nor  circumstance  can  ever  entirely  wash 
out.  There  are  the  bitter  memories  of  ancestral  wrongs,  of 
hereditary  servitude,  which  can  not  be  forgotten  till  "  the  last 
syllable  of  recordedvtime."  There  is  the  bitter  pressure  of 
legal  proscription,  and  of  inveterate  caste,  which  will  crowd 
closer  and  closer  their  ranks,  deepening  brotherhood  and  sym- 
pathy, and  preserving,  vital,  the  deep  consciousness  of  dis- 
tinctive race.  There  still  remains  the  low  imputation  of 
negro  inferiority,  necessitating  a  protracted  and  an  earnest 
battle,  creative  of  a  generous  pride  to  vindicate  the  race,  and 
inciting  to  noble  endeavor  to  illustrate  its  virtues  and  its 
genius. 

How  then  can  these  men  ever  forget  Africa  ?  How  cut 
the  links  which  bind  them  to  the  land  of  their  fathers  ?  I 
affirm  therefore  that  it  is  the  duty  of  black  men,  in  foreign 
lands,  to  live  and  to  labor  for  the  evangelization  of  the  land  of 
their  fathers :  1st,  on  the  ground  of  humanity ;  2d,  because 
they  themselves  are  negroes,  or  the  descendants  of  negroes, 
and  are  measurably  responsible  to  God  for  the  salvation  of 
their  heathen  kin ;  and  3dly,  I  press  the  consideration  of 
duty  on  the  ground  that  they  are  Christians.  In  the  good 
providence  of  God  they  have  been  enabled  to  pass  out  of  the 
spiritual  benightedness  of  their  fathers,  into  the  high  table 
lands  and  the  divine  atmosphere  of  Christian  truth  and 
Christian  conviction. 


38 

Now  I  shall  not  attempt  any, formal  argument  in  proof  that 
black  men  [or,  to  use  the  new  term,]  Anglo- Africans  are  duty 
bound  to  extend  the  gospel  in  Africa  ;  for  I  know  enough  of 
human  nature  to  see  that  such  an  argument  would  look  like 
the  assumption  that  our  brethren  in  the  States  were  so  igno- 
rant that  they  did  not  know  their  duty  as  Christians.  The 
very  men  who,  perchance,  would  contest  every  other  point  in 
this  letter,  would  charge  me  with  insult,  if  I  had  just  here  put 
forth  an  argument  to  prove  that  Christianity  requires  black 
Christians  to  be  missionaries  as  well  as  white  ones.  They 
would  start  up  and  exclaim :  "  Do  you  think  that  we  read 
our  Bibles  and  yet  remain  ignorant  of  the  evangelizing  spirit 
of  the  Bible  ?  Do  you  think  that  we  are  such  fools  as  to  sup- 
pose that  the  precepts  and  commands  of  scripture  have  a 
color  on  them  ?  And  do  you  suppose  that  we  are  such  igno- 
rant creatures,  that  you  must  needs  present  an  argument  to 
prove  to  us  that  we  should  manifest  a  missionary  heart  as 
well  as  other  Christians  ?  We  do  not  need  your  teachings, 
sir.  We  know  something  about  Christianity  as  well  as  you." 

I  attempt  no  such  argument.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  for  a 
moment,  that  black  Christians  in  New  York,  Philadelphia  and 
Baltimore,  do  not  know  that  there  are  no  distinctions  in 
Christian  requirement,  that  her  obligations  are  as  weighty 
upon  them  as  upon  any  portion  of  the  church.  I  am  only 
endeavoring  to  show  that  while  that  portion  of  the  race  that 
lives  in  America,  owes  duty  in  America,  it  has  obligations 
which  likewise  pertain  to  Africa ;  that  devotedness  to  the  cause 
of  the  black  man  in  the  United  States,  does  not  necessarily 
exclude  sympathy  for  Africa.  Let  me  illustrate  this.  There 
is  a  phase  of  modern  theological  writing,  which  brings  out 
most  prominently  the  fact  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  though 
born  of  a  Jewish  mother,  shows  no  where  Jewish  idiosyncra- 
cies.  You  look  at  the  Lord  Jesus,  you  read  his  life,  you  study 
his  words,  and  no  where  can  you  discover  nationality.  Men 
of  every  clime  and  blood  and  nation  turn  to  Him,  and  they 
find  each  and  all  in  Him,  the  reflex  of  one  common  broad 
humanity. 

The   Apostle,  St.  Paul,  more  than  any  other  mere  man, 


39 

reached  the  nearest  to  this  grand  and  divine  Catholicity  of  the 
Master.  "  I  am  debtor  both  to  the  Greeks  and  to  the  Barba- 
rians :  both  to  the  wise  and  to  the  unwise.  So,  as  much  as  in 
me  is,  I  am  ready  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  you  that  are  at  Rome 
also."  Romans,  Chapter  i,  14, 15. 

Nay,  he  went  even  beyond  this.  In  his  Epistle  to  the  Thes- 
salonians  he  speaks  of  his  kinsmen  the  Jews,  in  a  way  which 
would  lead  one  to  suppose  that  he  had  become  thoroughly 
denationalized.  "  For  ye  also  have  suffered  like  things  of  your 
own  countrymen,  even  as  they  have  of  the  Jews  :  Who  both 
killed  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  their  own  prophets,  and  have  per- 
secuted us  ;  and  they  please  not  God,  and  are  contrary  to  all 
men."  1  Thessalonians,  ii,  14, 15.  So  thoroughly  had  the 
grace  of  God  eliminated  from  the  soul  of  St.  Paul,  that  wither- 
ing and  malignant  principle  of  caste,  which  burned  more 
fiercely  and  intensely^  in  the  Jewish  mind  and  blood,  than  in 
any  other  people  that  ever  lived. 

And  yet,  look  at  this  same  large-hearted,  Catholic-minded 
Paul ;  what  a  patriot  he  is  !  what  longings  he  has  for  his  race ! 
How  he  falls  back  upon  their  high  and  noble  prerogatives ! 
Yea,  what  zeal,  what  deep  desire,  what  earnest  self-sacrifice 
he  cherishes  for  them !  "  What  advantage  hath  the  Jew  ?  "  he 
asks,  "  Or  what  profit  is  there  of  circumcision  ?  Much  every 
way :  chiefly  because  that  unto  them  were  committed  the 
oracles  of  God."  Romans,  iii,  1,  2^  The  Epistle  to  the  Ro- 
mans was  written  after  that  to  the  Thessalonians.  And  again, 
in  the  9th  chapter.  He  says, — "  I  say  the  truth  in  Christ,  I 
lie  not,  my  Conscience  also  bearing  me  witness  in  the  Holy 
Ghost,  that  I  have  great  heaviness  and  continual  sorrow  in  my 
heart.  For  I  could  wish  that  myself  were  accursed  from 
Christ  for  my  brethren,  my  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh  : 
who  are  Israelites,  to  whom  pertaineth  the  adoption,  and  the 
glory,  and  the  covenants,  and  the  giving  of  the  law,  and  the 
service  of  God  and  the  promises ;  whose  are  the  fathers,  and 
of  whom  as  concerning  the  flesh  Christ  came,  who  is  over  all, 
God  blessed  for  ever.  Amen." 

To  be  Catholic  minded  then  does  not  imply  a  lack  of  patri- 
otism.    Large,  yea  cosmopolitan  views,   do  not  necessarily 


40 

demand  a  sacrifice  of  kinship,  a  disregard  of  race,  nor  a  spirit 
of  denationality. 

Even  so  our  brethren  in  the  United  States  ;  however  man- 
fully they  claim  citizenship  in  the  land  of  their  birth ;  however 
valiantly,  against  all  odds  they  stand  beside  their  brethren  in 
bonds  ;  however  nobly  they  may  continue  to  battle  for  their 
rights ;  need  not,  nevertheless  feel  less  for  the  hundreds  of 
millions  of  their  kin  "  without  God  and  without  hope  in  the 
world,"  "  in  bondage  to  sin  and  Satan  ;"  nor  yet  to  put  forth 
less  generous  effort  for  their  well-being  and  eternal  salvation. 
I  turn  from  the  point  of  duty  to  the  question  of  your  ability 
and  power  to  take  part  in  this  great  work.  I  do  not  know 
whether  or  not,  colored  men  in  the  United  States  would  gen- 
erally acknowledge  that  they  could  as  a  people  do  something 
for  Africa ;  I  assume,  however,  as  most  probable,  the  affirma- 
tive. At  the  same  time  I  must  say  that  I  do  not  think  there 
is  any  deep  conviction  of  either  the  awful  needs  of  the  case, 
or  the  solemn  obligations  connected  with  it. 

I  see  however,  that  this  very  question  of  your  ability  is  both 
questioned  and  denied  in  some  quarters.  I  see  in  the  "  Spirit 
of  Missions  "  [October,  1858,]  a  report  of  a  speech  of  Rev. 
Dr.  I.  Leighton  Wilson,  secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Missions,  which  is  of  this  tenor.  He  says — "  To  withdraw 
our  Missionaries,  is  virtually  to  consign  those  people  to  per- 
petual and  unmitigated  heathenism.  The  speaker  knew  of  no 
substitute  for  the  present  plan  of  Missionary  operation.  In 
the  colonization  scheme,  he  entertained  the  liveliest  interest. 
The  Liberian  Republic  oifers  a  comfortable  home  for  those  in 
the  United  States  who  choose  to  go  there,  but  it  can  never 
exert  an  influence  which  will  reach  the  remote  part  of  the 
continent.  To  study  out  the  barbarous  languages — prepare 
dictionaries — to  give  shape  to  a  community  emerging  into  the 
light  of  civilization — we  never  look  to  colored  men  as  best 
adapted  to  this  work.  We  were  shut  up  to  the  conclusion 
that  we  must  pursue  this  work  in  the  manner  already  com- 
menced." 

I  regret  exceedingly  that  one  who  has  done  and  suffered  so 
much  for  Africa,  as  Dr.  Wilson  has,  should  have  ventured 


41 

• 

such  disparaging  remarks  concerning  any  of  her  children  as 
the  above.*  For  if  he  had  put  himself  to  the  pains  of  inquir- 
ing into  the  capacity  of  the  "  colored  men  around  him,"  he 
would  never,  I  feel  convinced,  have  thus  spoken.  I  am  no 
more  disposed  to  exaggerate  the  learning  or  mental  ability  of 
our  race  than  their  wealth.  Indeed,  as  a  race,  there  is  no 
place  for  exaggeration.  As  yet,  we  are  but  "  parvenus  "  in 
the  intellectual  world.  Our  greatness  lies  in  the  future,  as  yet 
we  have  not  secured.  Nevertheless  American  black  men  have 
done,  and  are  now  doing  enough  to  challenge  respect.  And 
even  that  seems  to  be  withheld  by  Dr.  Wilson  ;  possibly  I  may 
mistake  him.  But  when  American  black  men  are  ably  editing 
literary  journals,  publishing  respectable  newspapers,  issuing 
from  the  press  volumes  of  sermons,  writing  scientific  disquisi- 
tions, venturing  abstruse  "  Theories  of  Comets,"  and  sending 
forth  profound  "  vital  statistics,"  vexatious  alike  to  opposing 
Statesmen  and  Divines ;  they  so  far  vindicate  their  mental 
power  and  ability,  as  to  make  it  manifest,  that,  under  better 
circumstances,  in  a  clear  field,  they  could 

— "  Move  and  act 

In  all  the  correspondences  of  nature," 

with  force,  and  skill,  and  effect. 

But  Dr.  Wilson  knows  nothing  of  this  particular  class  of 
black  men.  He  and  hundreds  like  him  know  nothing  of  them. 
And  this  is  one  of  the  original  signs  of  the  deadly  power  of 
caste.  It  victimizes  the  white  as  well  as  the  black  man. 
Here  is  mind, — active  struggling  mind — developing  itself 
under  most  interesting  circumstances ;  rising  above  the  de- 
pression of  centuries  ;  breaking  away  from  ancestral  benight- 
edness  and  hereditary  night ;  gradually  gathering  strength, 
and  emerging  into  light ;  and  at  length  securing  respectability 
and  attracting  attention,  and  yet  if  this  phenomenon,  which 
excited  the  admiration  of  Dr.  Channing,  and  arrested  the 
attention  of  Lord  Carlyle  and  Dr.  Playfair,  passing  travelers, 

*  It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  tell  you  that  Dr.  Wilson  has  spent  the  flower 
of  his  years  on  this  coast  in  self  sacrifice  for  Africa ;  nor  to  add  that  it  was  chiefly 
through  a  rigorous  and  timely  pamphlet  of  his  that  the  British  Squadron  was  not 
withdrawn  from  this  coast  in  1851. 

6 


42 

Dr.  Wilson  apparently  knows  nothing  of,  but  actually  speaks 
slightingly  of. 

Dr.  Wilson  rejects  the  idea  of  your  being  capable  of  exerting 
a  remote  and  extensive  influence.  I  beg  to  point  out  his  error 
by  a  reference  again  to  the  "  African  Methodist  Church,"  in 
the  United  States.  I  make  this  reference  on  the  ground  that 
in  the  church  of  God  "  there  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but  the 
same  spirit;"  and  "there  are  differences  of  administrations, 
but  the  same  Lord;"  and  "that  the  manifestation  of  the 
spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit  withal ;"  and  yet  again 
that  in  the  great  work  of  Christ  for  the  salvation  of  the  hea- 
then, even  those  very  "  members  of  the  body  [of  Christ]  which 
seem  to  be  more  feeble,  are  necessary  "* 

And,  while  fully  agreeing  to  the  affirmation  more  distinctly 
stated  by  Dr.  Wilson  than  I  have  ever  seen  it  expressed  before, 
that,  "  the  idea  of  gathering  up  colored  men  indiscriminately, 
and  setting  them  down  upon  the  shores  of  Africa,  with  the 
design  or  expectation  that  they  will  take  the  lead  in  diffusing 
a  pure  Christianity  among  the  nations,  deserves  to  be  utterly 
rejected  by  every  friend  of  Africa."!  Still  it  seems  to  me  that 
he  commits  an  error  similar  to  that  of  rejecting  the  light 
artillery  of  an  army,  because  the  "  cavalry "  is  a  stronger 
arm  of  it. 

Doubtless  all  the  religious  societies  of  colored  people  in 
America  are  humble,  that  is  as  it  respects  literary  and  theolo- 
gical qualifications ;  and  the  African  Methodist  Church  as 
much  as  any  other.  I  do  not  think  they  themselves  would 
make  any  pretensions.  But  have  they  fitness  for  practical 
usefulness  ?  We  can  only  determine  this  by  facts.  Now  this 
denomination  has  been  in  existence  since  1790.  It  has  gath- 
ered into  its  fold  tens  of  thousands  of  the  sons  of  Africa  on 
American  soil. 

"  The  poor  forsaken  ones  :  " 

Men  however  of   earnest  mind,  who  would   not    sit  in  the 
"  negro  pew  ;  men,  who  but  for  this  society  must  have  been 

*  1  Corinthians  xii:  5,  6,  7, — 22. 

t  Wilson's  "  Western  Africa,"  p.  507. 


43 

left  to  indifferentism  or  infidelity,  have  had  their  wounded 
hearts  soothed  by  the  visitations  of  this  society,  and  their 
anxious  passionate  gaze  turned  from  the  trials  of  caste 
and  slavery,  to  "  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world."  They  have  built  churches,  established 
schools,  founded  a  college,  raised  up  a  ministry  of  over  four 
hundred  men,  meet  in  several  conferences,  and  are  governed 
by  their  own  bishops.  Here  then  is  a  spiritual  machinery 
which  has  saved  the  United  States  the  shame  of  hundred  of 
thousands  black  heathen.  Where  is  a  purely  missionary 
enterprise  in  the  full  tide  of  success,  which  has  been  admin- 
istered by  black  men  over  a  half  century — stretching  from 
Maine  to  Louisiana,  from  Maryland  to  California ;  it  shows 
that  black  men  "  can  exert  an  influence  which  will  reach  the 
remote  part  of  the  continent  "  of  America ;  and  why  not  do  the 
same  on  jthe  continent  of  Africa  ?  Operating  among  negroes, 
most  of  whom  a  century  ago  were  recently  from  Africa ;  it 
shows  that  American  Christians,  even  now,  "  can  look  to 
colored  men  as  "  [at  least,  humbly']  "  adapted  to  the  work" 
that  is  li  to  give  shape  to  a  community  emerging'  into  the  light 
of  civilization"  The  disproof  of  Dr.  Wilson's  assertion  is 
right  before  his  eyes. 

Dr.  Wilson's  objection,  that  we  are  "  not  best  adapted  to 
study  out  the  barbarous  languages  and  prepare  dictionaries," 
I  regard  as  exceedingly  unfair.  There  is  not  a  missionary 
society  in  Christendom  whose  choice  of  missionaries  is  condi- 
tioned on  this  single  qualification — their  "  ability  to  study 
barbarous  languages  and  prepare  dictionaries  !  "  It  strikes 
too  as  much  against  white  missionaries  abroad  as  against  black 
men  ;  for  are  they  "  BEST  ADAPTED,"  in  these  respects,  com- 
pared with  such  distinguished  divines  and  scholars  as  Dr. 
Robinson,  Dr.  Goodrich,  Dr.  Turner  ?  Besides  how  many  dic- 
tionaries have  the  fishermen  of  Galilee  transmitted  to  modern 
times  ?  What  evidence  have  we  of  an  eminent  scholarship 
among  them  like  to  this  demanded  of  us  ?  Or  where  is  the 
proof  that  even  the  Holy  Spirit  regarded  "  the  preparation  of 
dictionaries,"  or  a  critical  lingual  capacity  as  the  qualifica- 
tions of  missionaries  ? 


44 

• 
We  read  the  history  of  the  church,  and  see  the  conquests  of 

the  faith  in  ancient  times  in  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa.  But 
how  rare  a  thing  is  it,  to  find  such  pre-eminent  scholarships  * 
as,  for  instance,  that  of  Henry  Martyn,  Bishop  Middleton,  and 
David  Tappan  Stoddard,  the  accessories  of  the  devoted  mis- 
sionary spirit,  which  has  converted  millions,  and  brought 
whole  nations  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  St.  Paul  founded 
the  churches  of  Asia  and  Greece.  But  where  is  the  proof 
that  even  he  was  an  eminent  critical  scholar  ?  Christianity 
was  revived  and  energized  in  England  by  Augustine  in  the  6th 
century,  and  then  traveled  onward  with  conquering  power, 
until  the  time  of  the  reformation ;  and  since  then  the  evange- 
lization of  England  has  been  progressing  with  a  resistless 
march  to  the  present.  But  the  first  English  dictionary  we 
know  of  is  "that  of  Dr.  Johnson. 

If  I  do  not  mistake  the  spirit  of  the  New  Testament,  it  re- 
quires, I  apprehend,  in  addition  to  devoted  piety,  good  sterling 
qualities,  and  an  "  aptness  to  teach,"  as  the  ordinary  gifts  of 
ministers :  [and  what  are  missionaries  but  ministers  ?]  It  can 
not  go  below  this  standard ;  but  it  may  rise  above  it  to  the 
fiery  zeal  and  wasting  labors  of  St.  Paul;  the  effective  elo- 
quence of  Xavier,  and  Swartz,  and  Brainerd ;  the  fine  abilities 
and  practical  learning  of  Carey  and  Medhurst. 

If  to  ordinary  gifts,  missionaries  are  able  to  add  these  other 
eminent  ones,  so  much  the  better  fitted  will  they  be  to  make 
skillful  and  effective  workers  in  the  Lord's  vineyard ! 

But  if  not,  then  missionaries,  that  is,  colored  missionaries, 
to  Africa,  must  be  content  to  labor  as  effectively  as  they  can, 
without  them ;  relying  for  translations  and  the  superior  liter- 
ary work  of  missions,  upon  the  occasional  white  laborers  who 
come  from  abroad.  And  with  respect  to  the  languages,  they 
must  do  as  two-thirds,  not  to  say  three-fourths,  of  the  white 
missionaries  do,  that  is,  work  for  the  heathen  through  the 
agency  of  interpreters.  In  Liberia,  however,  more  than  a 
third,  not  to  say  half,  of  the  colored  ministers,  speak  the  re- 
spective native  tongues  in  their  vicinity,  with  ease ;  and  of  can- 
didates for  the  ministry,  in  the  different  denominations,  I  feel 


45 

well  nigh  confident  that  four-fifths  of  them  speak  one  or  two 
native  tongues. 

You  have  then  humble  QUALIFICATIONS  fitted  to  make  you, 
although  not  learned,  yet  useful  and  effective  instruments  in 
the  salvation  of  our  heathen  kin.  You  can  become  preachers 
and  teachers;  and  the  more  learned  labor  can  be  done  by 
white  brethren.  As  you  have  fitness,  so  likewise  you  have 
the  OPPORTUNITY  to  enter  upon  this  glorious  and  saving  work. 
I  wish  to  show  here  that  if  you  love  Africa,  and  really  possess 
a  missionary  spirit,  the  way  is  open  before  you  to  enter  at 
once  among  the  crowded  populations  of  this  continent,  and  to 
set  up  the  standard  of  the  Cross.  From  the  port  of  Lagos  in 
almost  direct  line  through  a  crowded  population,  and  passing 
by  cities  containing  tens  of  thousands  of  people,  a  highway 
is  now  open  reaching  to  RABBA  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger. 
All  through  this  country  the  colored  churches  of  America,  can 
send  their  missionaries,  build  up  Christian  schools,  and  lay  the 
foundation  of  Christian  colleges  and  universities.  North  of 
us  lies  the  wide  and  open  field  of  the  Mendians,  which  is  the 
door  to  the  mighty  millions  of  interior  Africa,  back  to  Tim- 
buctoo.  Between  these  two  fields  of  labor  is  the  republic  of 
Liberia.  Our  name,  our  reputation,  and  our  flag,  will  insure 
you  safety  two  hundred  miles  from  the  coast,  among  large, 
important,  industrious,  and  active-minded  natives.  It  was 
only  the  other  day  that  I  made  a  second  visit  to  an  interior 
station,  in  company  with  Dr.  Delany,  who  had  been  my  guest 
for  a  few  weeks,  and  became,  for  the  time,  my  fellow  traveler. 
We  were  paddled  up  the  CAVALLA,  a  fine,  broad-flowing  river, 
running  through  a  rich  and  populous  country,  with  banks 
rising  twenty,  thirty,  fifty  feet,  almost  perpendicularly  from 
the  water's  level,  its  turning  points  opening  ever  and  anon  to 
our  view  grand  mountain  scenery  in  the  distance,  with  visions 
of  ravishing  beauty  now  and  then  bursting  upon  our  sight, 
navigable  for  sloops  and  schooners  near  eighty  miles  from  the 
coast,  and  stretching  out  beyond  the  falls  which  here  obstruct 
its  passage,  some  three  or  four  hundred  miles  in  the  interior. 
Everywhere,  in  every  town,  we  were  most  cordially  received, 
hospitably  entertained,  and  my  teachings  eagerly  listened  to, 


46 

by  whole  towns  and  villages,  who  invariably  turned  out,  in  a 
body  to  hear  the  preacher.  In  most  of  these  towns  I  had 
gone  preaching  before ;  other  missionaries  had  been  there  long 
and  often  before  me ;  and  hence  you  can  see  that  it  was  inter- 
est that  excited  them,  and  not  mere  novelty. 

Now  here  is  a  vast,  open  field,  ready  for  the  Gospel ;  but  it 
is  but  one  among  scores,  in  the  limited  territory  of  Liberia. 
Saving  that  the  Cavalla  can  be  navigated  a  further  distance 
inland,  there  are  many  other  as  good  opportunities  and  facili- 
ties for  the  conveyance  of  the  Gospel  interior  ward,  as  this. 

Now,  let  me  ask,  what  hinders  the  colored  Christians  of 
America  from  entering  these  large,  inviting  missionary  fields, 
and  founding  the  institutions  of  Christianity  here  ?  Putting 
aside,  altogether,  the  question  of  colonization,  why  can  they 
not  as  a  people,  come  forward  to  save  their  race  from  heathen- 
ism, and  to  give  them  both  the  present  and  the  future  conso- 
lations of  religion  ? 

Let  me  refer  in  particular,  to  the  three  classes  of  religion- 
ists among  our  brethren,  with  whom  I  am  more  especially  ac- 
quainted: the  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  and  Episcopalians. 

The  colored  Episcopalians  are  a  "  small  folk,"  I  know,  but 
both  of  us  being  churchmen,  will  make  my  mention  of  them 
excusatory.  With  three  or  four  of  these  congregations  I  am 
intimately  acquainted,  and  I  see  no  difficulty  whatever  in  the 
way  of  their  adopting  some  such  plan  as  this:  1.  Preparing, 
as  a  commencement,  some  two  or  three  young  men  for  the 
ministry,  for  the  special  purpose  of  becoming  missionaries  to 
Africa.  This,  of  course,  presupposes  a  regular,  systematic 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  ministers  of  these  churches  to  inter- 
est their  people  in  Africa,  and  to  train  them  in  the  habit  of 
giving  to  missions.  In  this  way  one  young  heart  and  another 
would  ever  and  anon  come  forward,  anxious  to  devote  itself 
to  the  evangelization  of  Africa.  The  young  men  might  take 
theological  lessons  of  the  minister,  and  when  prepared,  might 
be  placed  under  the  Episcopal  authority  on  this  coast,  and  re- 
ceive orders.  2.  When  about  sending  off  the  young  men,  if 
any  pious  mechanics,  or  farmers,  or  school-masters,  desired  to 
devote  themselves  to  the  work,  the  congregation  might  extend 


47 

their  interest  to  them  as  well  as  to  the  candidates  for  orders, 
and  assure  them  of  continued  regard  and  future  zeal  and  self- 
sacrifice  in  their  behalf.*  3.  A  company  thus  formed,  might 
be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  mission,  with  the  request,  per- 
haps, that  they  might  be  located  together,  as  one  party;  and 
the  church  from  whence  they  came,  or  some  two  or  three  col- 
ored churches,  might  regard  that  station  as  their  own, — sup- 
ply it  with  school  books,  farming  utensils,  clothes  for  mission- 
aries and  converts,  and  provisions  to  a  greater  or  less  extent; 
might  recruit  ever  and  anon  with  new  schoolmasters,  or  re- 
place decayed  or  deceased  missionaries, — or  take  charge  of 
their  children,  [in  America,]  and  prepare  them  for  the  work 
of  their  parents,  in  the  future. 

This  is  only  an  outline  of  what  the  few  colored  Episcopal 
churches  in  the  United  States  could  do.f  Perhaps  you  say, 
"this  is  a  large  scheme!"  I  reply  without  hesitation,  that 
from  my  knowledge  of  the  wealth  that  has  been  concentered 
in  it,  ST.  THOMAS'  CHURCH,  Philadelphia,  could  have  done  all 
this  thirty  years  ago.  The  expense  of  a  small  mission,  thus 
constituted,  would  not  near  equal  the  lavish  expenditure  of 
some  city  congregation  of  colored  people,  in  balls,  parties, 
fashionable  rivalry,  jewelry,  pic-nics,  and  the  department  which 
is  politely  termed  cuisine. 

Without  entering  into  details,  I  merely  remark  that  from 
their  numbers,  and  the  increasing  intelligence  and  learning  of 
their  ministers,  the  Presbyterians  could  do  a  larger  work  than 
the  Episcopalians.  They  have  so  many  white  colleges  and 
seminaries  opened  to  them,  so  many  obstacles  have  been  re- 
moved out  of  the  way  of  their  aspiring  young  men,  and  so 
wide  and  warm  and  hearty  is  the  desire  of  all  classes  of  white 


*  I  regret  that  the  theme  before  me  forbids  that  I  should  speak  of  the  almost 
absolute  necessity,  in  any  such  scheme,  of  connecting  manual  labor  with  mission- 
ary effort.  Indeed  no  man  should  become  a  colonist  to  Africa  whose  example  is 
likely  to  encourage  the  heathen  in  their  irregular,  unsystematic,  unplodding  modes 
of  labor. 

t  There  are  no  less  than  three  different  fields  into  which  effective  laborers  would 
likely  be  welcomed :— the  church  in  Sierra  Leone,  in  Liberia,  and  in  the  projected 
field  in  South  Africa,  where  the  "Cambridge  and  Oxford"  mission  intend  to 
establish  a  colony. 


48 

Presbyterians  to  build  up  their  denomination  among  the  free 
colored  people,  that  the  colored  Presbyterian  churches  could 
contemplate  grand  saving  schemes  for  Africa,  and  undertake 
at  once  a  large  and  noble  work. 

But  the  "African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church"  of  the 
United  States  has  the  machinery  for  a  most  comprehensive 
missionary  service  in  Africa.  They  have  a  well-tried  system ; 
they  have  experience ;  they  have  a  large  body  of  ministers ; 
and  they  have  a  corresponding  body,  already  in  existence, 
under  complete  organization,  in  Liberia, — I  mean  the  "  Libe- 
rian  Episcopal  Church."  If  my  old  friend,  Bishop  Daniel  A. 
Payne,  would  only  enter  into  this  work  with  all  that  warmth 
of  heart,  that  energy  of  purpose,  and  that  burning  Christian 
eloquence,  which  characterize  him,  what  blessedness  would  he 
not  impart  to  this  land ;  what  spiritual  life  would  he  not  dif- 
fuse among  all  the  churches  of  his  charge,  in  America !  His 
people  could  start  a  saving,  systematized  plan,  by  which  health, 
power,  life  and  energy  would  be  constantly  poured,  like  a 
living  stream,  into  the  corresponding  body  in  this  country, 
and  so  be  diffused  throughout  the  land,  to  the  villages,  the 
hamlets,  and  the  huts  of  tens  of  thousands  of  our  needy  hea- 
then kin! 

I  am  not  blind  to  difficulties.  I  know  some  of  the  trials  of 
emigration.  I  have  been  called  to  some  of  the  difficulties,  not 
to  say  severities  of  missionary  life.  And  therefore  I  shall  be 
free,  I  trust,  from  the  charge  of  flippancy.  So  likewise  I  am 
aware  of  the  peculiar  obstacles  in  the  way  of  our  brethren  in 
the  States.  I,  too,  am  an  American  black  man.  I  have  an 
acquaintance  with  obstructive  idiosyncracies  in  them.  If  you 
think  of  hindrances  and  difficulties  specially  theirs,  I  know  all 
about  them. 

But  I  say  it  deliberatively,  that  the  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  our  brethren  doing  a  goodly  work  for  Africa,  are  more  sub- 
jective than  objective.  One  of  these  hindrances  is  a  want  of 
missionary  zeal.  This  is  a  marked  characteristic  of  American 
black  Christians.  I  say  American,  for  from  all  I  hear  it  does 
not  characterize  our  West  Indian  brethren,  and  the  infant 
church  of  Sierra  Leone  is  already,  in  sixty  years  from  its  birth 


49 

a  mother  of  missions.  This  is  our  radical  defect.  Our  re- 
ligion is  not  diffusive,  but  rather  introversive.  It  does  not 
flow  out,  but  rather  inward.  As  a  people  we  like  religion,  we 
like  religious  services.  Our  people  like  to  go  to  church,  to 
prayer  meetings,  to  revivals.  But  we  go  to  get  enjoyment. 
We  like  to  be  made  happy  by  sermons,  singing,  and  pious  talk. 
All  this  is  indeed  correct  so  far  as  it  goes ;  but  it  is  only  one 
side  of  religion.  It  shows  only  that  phase  of  piety  which  may 
be  termed  the  "  piety  of  self-satisfaction."  But  if  we  are  true 
disciples,  we  should  not  only  seek  a  comforting  piety,  but  we 
should  also  exhibit  an  effective  and  expansive  one.  We  should 
let  our  godliness  exhale  like  the  odor  of  flowers.  We  should 
live  for  the  good  of  our  kind  and  strive  for  the  salvation  of  the 
world. 

Another  of  these  hindrances  is  what  the  phrenologists  term 
"inhabitativeness" — the  stolid  inhabitativeness  of  our  race. 
As  a  people,  we  cling  with  an  almost  deadly  fixity  to  locality. 
I  see  this  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Messrs.  Douglass  and 
Watkins  assail  Messrs.  Horace  Greeley  and  Gerrit  Smith  for 
pointing  out  this  peculiarity  of  character  in  our  people.  But 
without  doubt  they  tell  the  truth  of  us.  We  are  not  "  given 
to  change."  The  death  of  a  master,  the  break  up  of  a  family, 
may  cast  a  few  black  men  from  the  farm  to  the  city,  but  they 
go  no  further.  We  lack  speculation.  Man  has  been  called  a 
creature, 

"  Looking  before  and  after  " 

But  not  so  we.     We  look  where  we  stand,  and  but  few  beyond. 

So  here,  on  this  side  of  the  water.  The  colonization-ship 
brings  a  few  hundred  freed  men  to  this  west  coast  of  Africa. 
They  gather  together  in  the  city  of  Monrovia,  or  the  town  of 
Greenville,  and  there  they  sit,  yea,  and  would  sit  forever,  if  it 
were  not  for  some  strong  external  influence  which  now  and 
then  scatters  a  few,  and  a  precious  few,  here  and  there  along 
the  coast. 

Here  then  you  see,  in  this  same  people,  on  both  sides  of  the 
waters,  an  exaggeration  of  the  "  home  feeling,"  which  is  so 
exceedingly  opposite  to  Anglo-Saxon  influences  that  I  wonder 
7 


50 


, 
that  we,  who  thaye  been  trained  for  centuries  under  them,  have 

not  ere  this  outgrown  it.  Sixteen  years  from  the  settlement 
of  Plymouth,  sixty  families  started  from  Boston  and  cut  their 
way  to  Windsor,  on  the  Connecticut.*  We,  in  Liberia,  have 
never  yet  had  a  spontaneous  movement  of  old  settlers  in  a 
body  and  with  a  purpose  to  a  new  location.  The  colored  peo- 
ple of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1853,  1  hear,  were  mostly  fugitive 
slaves.  The  "  Fugitive  Slave  Law  "  prompted  them  to  emi- 
grate to  Canada  ;  but  proximity  determined  their  choice  of  a 
home  rather  than  any  large  principle.  We  read  in  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  that  when  those  who  at  Stephen's  death  were 
persecuted,  were  scattered  abroad,  "  they  went  everywhere 
preaching  the  word."  So  when  our  brethren  felt  constrained 
to  leave  the  United  States,  it  was  meet,  it  seems  to  me,  that 
some  of  them  should  have  thought  of  Africa  and  her  needs. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  Liberians  had  been  duly  awake  to  the 
welfare  of  our  race,  we  should  have  shown  our  brotherly  feel- 
ing by  inviting  the  wanderers  to  our  shores. 

These  two  hindrances,  that  is,  a  lack  of  missionary  zeal  and 
a  tenacious  hold  on  locality,  will  doubtless  prevent  active 
efforts  for  the  regeneration  of  Africa.  So,  too,  they  will  serve 
to  check  commercial  enterprise.  But  as  a  people,  we  shall 
have  to  pise  above  these  things.  The  colored  churches  of 
America  will  find,  bye  and  bye,  they  can  retain  no  spiritual 
vitality  unless  they  rise  above  the  range  of  selfish  observation 
to  broad,  general,  humane  ideas  and  endeavors.  Self-preser- 
vation, self-sustenation,  are  only  single  items  in  the  large  and 
•comprehensive  category  of  human  duties  and  obligations. 

"  Unless  above  himself,  he  can  erect  himself, 
How  poor  a  thing  is  man." 

And  this  is  equally  true  with  regard  to  Liberian  black  Chris- 
tians. Do  not  think  that  I  pretend  to  say  that  we  in  Africa 
stand  on  such  a  high  vantage  ground  that  we  can  point  invid- 
iously at  our  brethren  in  America.  I  have  no  hesitation  in 

*  Bancroft's  History  of  America,  ch.  ix. 


51 

saying,  as  my  own  opinion,  that  in  both  the  respects  referred  to 
above,  we  are  more  blameworthy  than  you.  / 

A  third  hindrance  may  be  mentioned  here.  There  will  be 
a  reluctance  on  the  part  of  even  some  good  and  zealous  Chris- 
tians to  engage  in  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  in  Africa  on 
the  ground  "  that  its  ultimate  tendency  must  be  to  subserve 
the  objectionable  scheme  of  African  colonization."  But 
surely  any  one  can  see  that  such  an  objection  is  wicked.  The 
gospel  must  be  preached  in  all  the  world.  The  master  com- 
mands it.  The  history  of  the  church  shows  that  it  does  not 
necessarily,  if  generally,  carry  colonization  with  it.  But  even 
if  in'this  particular  case,  it  does  so,  no  Christian  has  a  right  to 
shrink  from  his  duty.  And  that  man  must  be  demented  who 
can  not  see  God's  beneficent  providence  in  colonization, — that 
man  blind  who  does  not  recognize  good  and  mercy  in  its  work 
— civil  and  religious,  on  the  coast  of  Africa  !  The  duties  of 
our  present  state  are  not  to  be  determined  by  imaginary  results 
or  prospective  issues.  They  always  grow  out  of  the  positive 
commands  of  the  Bible,  or  manifest  human  relations,  and 
both  fasten  the  duty  upon  us  to  care  for  the  heathen  in  gener- 
al, and  for  our  heathen  kin  in  particular. 

I  have  no  doubt,  however,  that  every  effort  that  is  henceforth 
made  to  spread  the  gospel  in  Africa,  will  bring  many  from 
the  impulse  of  emigration,  to  Africa.  Up  to  a  certain  future, 
but  I  hope  not  distant  point  in  American  sentiment,  there  will 
be,  I  feel  quite  certain,  a  large  exodus  of  the  better,  more  cul- 
tivated, and  hence  more  sensitive  minds,  partly  to  Africa, 
Hayti,  Brazil,  and  the  British  colonies.  Those  who  "  having 
done  all,"  still  STAND,  must  bear  with  those  who  leave.  Hayti 
needs  a  PROTESTANT,  Anglo- African  element  of  the  stamp  Mr. 
Holly  will  give  her.  Jamaica  is  blessed  by  the  advent  in  her 
midst  of  such  a  strong-minded,  open-eyed,  energetic  spirit,  as 
my  old  school-mate  and  friend,  SAMUEL  R.  WARD.  And  Li- 
beria's wants  in  this  respect  are  stronger  than  either  of  the  above. 
You  should  learn  willingly  to  give,  even  of  your  best,  to  save 
and  regenerate  and  build  up  the  RACE  in  distant  quarters.* 

*  The  2d  article  of  the  Constitution  of  African  Civilization  Society  sets  forth 
my  views  in  better  language  than  my  own  :  The  Evangelization  and  Civilization 
of  Africa  and  the  descendants  of  African  ancestors,  wherever  dispersed." 


I   \ !  52 

^  \ .l.v  ^  v»v  y\ 

You  should  study  to  rise  above  the  niggard  spirit  which  grudg- 
ingly and  pettishly  yields  its  grasp  upon  a  fellow  laborer.  You 
should  claim  with  regard  to  this  continent  that "  THIS  is  OUR  AF- 
RICA," in  all  her  gifts,  and  in  her  budding  grace  and  glory. 
And  you  should  remember  top,  with  regard  to  emigrants,  the 
words  of  that  great  man,  "  EDMUND  BURKE."  "  The  poorest 
being  that  crawls  on  earth,  contending  to  save  itself  from  in- 
justice and  oppression,  is  an  object  respectable  in  the  eyes  of 
God  and  man." 

But  it  is  time  that  I  should  draw  to  a  close,  for  I  have  fallen 
into  a  too  common  fault, — I  have  made  too  long  a  "  palaver." 
My  letter  has  run  out  to  a  greater  length  than  I  intended. 
And  now  I  shall  weary  you  no  longer. 

For  near  three  centuries  the  negro  race  in  exile  and  servi- 
tude has  been  groveling  in  lowly  places,  in  deep  degradation. 
Circumstance  and  position  alike  have  divorced  us  from  the 
pursuits  which  give  nobleness  and  grandeur  to  life.  In  our 
time  of  trial  we  have  shown,  it  is  true,  a  matchless  patience, 
and  a  quenchless  hope ;  the  one  prophetic  of  victory,  and  the 
other  the  germ  of  a  high  Christian  character,  now  developing. 
These  better  qualities,  however,  have  been  disproportioned, 
and  the  life  of  the  race  in  general  has  been  alien  from 
ennobling  and  aspiring  effort. 

But  the  days  of  passivity  should  now  come  to  an  end.  The 
active,  creative,  and  saving  powers  of  the  race  should  begin 
to  show  themselves.  The  power  of  the  negro,  if  he  has  such 
power,  to  tell  upon  human  interests,  and  to  help  shape  human 
destinies,  should  at  an  early  day  make  full  demonstration  of 
itself.  We  owe  it  to  ourselves,  to  our  race,  and  to  our  gener- 
ous defenders  and  benefactors,  both  in  Europe  and  America, 
to  show  that  we  are  capable  "  of  receiving  the  seed  of  present 
history  into  a  kindly  yet  a  vigorous  soil,  and  [that  we  can] 
reproduce  it,  the  same,  and  yet  new,  for  a  future  period"* 
in  all  the  homes  of  this  traduced,  yet  vital  and  progressive 
race. 

Surely  the  work  herein  suggested  is  fitted  to  just  such  ends, 

*  Dr.  Arnold.    Inaugural  Lecture. 


53 

and  is  fully  worthy  the  noblest  faculties  and  the  liighest  ambi- 
tion. If  I  were  aiming  but  to  startle  the  fanc^,  to  kindle'  the 
imagination,  and  thereby  to  incite  to  brave  and  gallant  deeds, 
I  know  no  theme  equal  to  this  in  interest  and  commanding 
influence.  And  just  this  is  tbe  influence  it  is  now  exerting 
upon  passionate  and  romantic  minds,  in  England  and  the 
United  States,  in  France  and  Germany,  in  Austria  and  Sar- 
dinia. These  civilized  States  are  sending  out  their  adventur- 
ous travelers  to  question,  on  the  spot,  the  mysterious  spell 
which  seems  to  shut  out  Africa  from  the  world  and  its  civili- 
zation. These  enterprising  spirits  are  entering  every  possible 
avenue  to  the  heart  of  Africa,  anxious  to  assure  the  inner 
tribes  of  the  continent  that  the  enlightened  populations  of 
Europe  would  fain  salute  them  as  brethren,  and  share  with 
them  the  culture  and  enlightenment  which,  during  the  ages, 
have  raised  them  from  rudeness  and  degradation,  if  they  can 
only  induce  them  to  throw  aside  the  exclusiveness  of  pagan- 
ism and  the  repulsiveness  of  barbarism. 

But  the  enlightened  sons  of  Africa  in  distant  lands,  are 
called  to  a  far  higher  work  than  even  this ;  a  work  which  as 
much  transcends  mere  civilization  as  the  abiding  interests  of 
eternity  outvie  the  transient  concerns  of  time.  To  wrest  a 
continent  from  ruin ;  to  bless  and  animate  millions  of  torpid 
and  benighted  souls ;  to  destroy  the  power  of  the  devil  in  his 
strongholds,  and  to  usher  therein  light,  knowledge,  blessed- 
ness, inspiring  hope,  holy  faith,  and  abiding  glory,  is,  without 
doubt,  a  work  which  not  only  commands  the  powers  of  thfc 
noblest  men,  but  is  worthy  the  presence  and  the  zeal  of  angels. 
It  is  just  this  work  which  now  claims  and  calls  for  the  inter- 
est and  the  activity  of  the  sons  of  Africa.  Its  plainest  state- 
ment and  its  simplest  aspect,  are  sufficient,  it  seems  to  me,  to 
move  these  men  in  every  quarter  of  the  world  to  profound 
sensibility,  to  deep  resolve,  to  burning  ardor.  Such  a  grand 
and  awful  necessity,  covering  a  vast  continent,  touching  the 
best  hopes,  and  the  endless  destiny  of  millions  of  men,  ought, 
I  think,  to  stir  the  souls  of  many  a  self-sacrificing  spirit,  and 
quicken  him  to  lofty  purposes  and  noble  deeds.  And  when 
one  considers  that  never  before  in  human  history  has  such  a 


, ,   \) 

>v\\\) 
grand  aud  name'  work  been  laid  out  in  the  Divine  Providence, 

before  the  negro  race,  and  that  it  rises  up  before  them  in  its 
full  magnitude  now,  at  the  very  time  when  they  are  best  fitted 
for  its  needs  and  requirements,  it  seems  difficult  to  doubt  that 
many  a  generous  and  godly  soul  will  hasten  to  find  his  proper 
place  in  this  great  work  of  God  and  man,  whether  it  be  by  the 
personal  and  painful  endeavors  of  a  laborer  in  the  field  of 
duty,  or  by  the  generous  benefactions  and  the  cheering  incite- 
ments which  serve  to  sustain  and  stimulate  distant  and  tried 
workers  in  their  toils  and  trials.  "A  benefaction  of  this  kind 
seems  to  enlarge  the  very  being  of  a  man,  extending  it  to  dis- 
tant places  and  to  future  times,  inasmuch  as  unseen  countries 
and  after  ages  may  feel  the  effects  of  his  bounty,  while  he 
himself  reaps  the  reward  in  the  blessed  society  of  all  those  who 
"  having  turned  many  to  righteousness,  shine  as  the  stars 
forever  and  ever.'M 

*  Bp.  Berkley  :     "  Proposal  for  supplying  churches." 


